La Voz de Aztlan, May 2 1988
Item
Title
La Voz de Aztlan, May 2 1988
Creator
Associated Students of Fresno State
Relation
La Voz de Aztlan (Daily Collegian, California State University, Fresno)
Coverage
Fresno, California
Date
5/2/1988
Format
PDF
Identifier
SCUA_lvda_00176
extracted text
.La. Voz cie Azt[a.ti
California State University, Fresno
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Monday, May 2, 1988
Page 2
Monday, May 2, 1988
.I
La. Voz
~a
oz ~e zt an
Commitment Continues
La Voz de Aztlan was established in 1969. Its mission over the last 19 years has been to educate Raza. T
educate people about the true conditions in which we live. To remind students that man
Chicanos/Mexicanos opened the door so that we could have more opportunities. It has been La Voz de Aztlan's
oal this year to continue in this tradition.
La Voz serves not only as a voice for the Chicano/Mexicano community, but it also acts as a teaching tool. In
n effort to include as many diverse views and opinions as possible the paper continues to reflect the social,
olitical, and cultural needs of all Chicanos.
The issues raised by La Voz de Aztlan are of importance, especially today in this era of rising racism.
nfortunately, many Latinos have forgotten the price that our people have paid to remove the barriers o
·scrimination. As a people, we are still treated as "illegal aliens" in this country built by immigrant labor, and
e must never turn our faces away from racism arid oppresion against all people.
The only way in which we can stop discrimina~ion is to make others aware that racist and oppressive acts
·n not be tolerated. And, the only way in which we have the power to do this is to work together. La Voz
es all of you to utilize the media as one means to eradicate the menace to our constitutional rights.
Let us then continue forward and work together to improve the quality of life for all people.
oun
•
ex1can
MAPA-AD HOC COALITION TO STOP THE
BORDER PATROL RAIDS
AGAINST MEXICAN-LOOKING PEOPLE. NEARLY A HUNDRED
WERE DEPORTED AND A FEW WERE RELEASED AFTER
BEING HELD IN JAIL FOR HOURS ONCE THEY PROVED
COMMISSIONER HAROLD EZELL WAS IN FRESNO ON APRIL ELEGIBILITY FOR AMNESTY.
21, TO SHOW HIS EFFORTS IN THE PROCESS TO LEGALIZE
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. MR. EZELL WILL SHOW HOW ONCE AGAIN, MR. HAROLD EZELL, OUR COMMUNITY
HUMANITARIAN AND GENEROUS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BELIEVES
THAT
THESE
RAIDS
ARE
TOTALLY
THE AMNESTY PROGRAM HAS BEEN.
INCONSISTENT WITH THE EFFORTS TO BRING THE
UNDOCUMENTED COMMUN_ITY OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
HOWEVER, "BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS OF FRESNO'S THESE BORDER PATROL RAIDS ONLY INCREASE THE FEAR
CHINATOWN HAVE ANOTHER STORY TO TELL.
AND UNCERTAINTY AMONG POTENTIAL APPLICANTS.
EVEN MORE, THE BORDER PATROL IS C_REATING THE
THIS PAST SATURDAY, VANS AND AGENTS FROM THE CONDITIONS FOR MORE TRAGIC CASES LIKE THE KILLING
BORDER PATROL UNLEASHED A MASSIVE ROUND-UP OF THE YOUNG WORKER ISMAEL RAMIREZ.
La Voz
cle. Azt[an.
Pablo Gutierrez S.
Editor
Contributing Writers:
Production:
Karen
M. Cogley
Jaime Fernandez
Jaime P. Rodriguez
Lisa Y. Flores
M. PJvera
Assistant Editor
Pedro Ramirez-Advisor
Special Contributions:
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mystic Warrior
Bill Lerch-Distribution
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 3
Pesticide killing
farmworkers
FRONTLINE
By Morris Wright
Cesar Chavez and the VFW continue the fight against pesticide
poisonings and the rights of farmworkers.
Racial Tension
Black Issues in Higher Education,
By De.nnis Schatzm.(ln.
Dartmouth, Univ. of Massachusetts,
UMass-Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Brown, Wellesley, Tufts, Yale... all
institutions of higher learning in New
England. But they have somehting more
dubious in common. All have experienced
ugly racial incidents among students on
campus within the last 18 months.
Nationwide, racism is again rearing its
ugly head on campuses with greater frequency in recent months. It seems ironic,
however, that many institutions, faced
with this dilemma, are based in the New
England states, the birthplace of "liberty,"
the Constitution and the Abolitoinist
movement. Consider these blights:
*a Black female was taunted as "dark
meat" by Dartmouth football players.
· *White UMas-Amherst students, following the World Series finale, attacked
a small group of Black Mets fans on
campus, injuring several.
*A Jewish Tufts University student
was allegedly beaten by fellow whites
after writing a newspaper article denounracism.
· *At Smith College, racial slurs were
spray-painted on the steps of the
Minority Cultural Center.
0' cing
See Tension p. 7
Minority Journalism Workshop
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
July 18 - Aug. 5
Fann Workers' unions have been voices
crying in the wilderness against exposure
of field workers to pesticides that
debilitate and kill. The United Farm
Workers (UFW) publish monthly horror
stories of deformed children, sickness and
death from pesticides.
The rest of us are told to wash our
fruits and vegetables, but 2.3 million
farm workers have to touch them,
unwashed, all day long, and breathe the
dust and fumes.
UFW president Cesar Chavez, writing
in the union's publication Food and
Justice, has estimated that 300,000 pesticide poisonings occur each year, and has
presented many case histories, including
that of a boy born with no anns or legs
to parents who work in the fields. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has not commented on Chavez' statements except to admit that many cases of
pesticide poisoning go unreported.
There are federal rules and some state
laws concerning protective clothing and
time intervals after spraying before
workers can be required to enter the he1ds,
but they are poorly enforced and often
ignored. ·
EPA, responding to lobbying by farm
unions, the Migrant Legal Assistance
Project (MLAP) and California Rural
Legal Assistance, is preparing to revise
its rules. But a draft proposal of revisions
is "weak in almost every area," according
to Shelly Davis, a MLAP lawyer.
However, she added, "Anything would be
some improvemenL"
This glacial process has been dragging
on since 1985, when EPA assembled
representatives of unions, employers and
other concerned groups in an effort to get
agreement in advance on its proposals. In
1986 the labor representatives walked out
in protest against EPA's bias in favor of
employers.
Now, representatives of UFW, the
Farm Labor· Organizing Committee
(FLOC) and MLAP are meeting and
traveling together to agricultural areas,
preparing a critique of EPA's proposals.
EPA DRAFf PROPOSAL
The current EPA proposal does contain
some provisions that are be~ter than what
now exists. Among other things, the 237page EPA proposal would:
*Extend coverage to 300,000 workers
in nurseries and green houses, and to
forestry workers and those employed by
labor contractors;
*Require monitoring of blood of those
exposed
to pesticides for the longest
from
HOW TO APPL V:
Application forms are available
periods to check for an enzyme attacked
your journalism adviser, the CCNMA and The Bee (see by the most toxic substances. The
below). Completed applications must be returned by enzyme is necessary for pr~r
functioning of the nervous system. nus
May 16 to CCNMA at the address below.
would not be required for 75% of field
AT THE FRESNO BEE
Minorit~
to
Write
FURTHER
INFORMATION:
Journalism Workshop, CCNMA Fresno, P.O. Box 12384,
Fresno, CA 93777.
Questions can be directed to Dr. Harry Kennedy, the
workshop director, at 453-1644 evenings; to Tom
Uribes of CCNMA, workshop co-director, at 266-1391
or 275-0717; or to Donald Slinkard, Fresno Bee
managing editor, at 441-6442.
workers, who are exposed for "only"
three weeks a year. Many of the latter
groups, as well as the fonner, are afflicted
by nervous disorders.
*Require waiting periods of 24 to 48
hours after application of pesticides before
workers could be sent into the fields.
They could be required to enter sooner if
protective clothing were provided.
Such laws are on the books in some
states, but Frontline has been told by
workers in the Salinas, California area
that they had been threatened with firing
if tfiey refused to enter a field that was
posted. At best, this protection
is
uncertain; nobody knows what period of
time, if any, guarantees safety.
-"anything
would be an
.
"
improvement
EPA has further weakene.d t}ljs degree
of protection by proposing in its new
document that wAning placards at field
entrances no longer display the familiar
skull and crossbones symbol but instead
show an upraised hand and stem face.
Dr. Marian Moses, representing UFW,
told Frontline that she is particularly
upset about this Jast change. This
dilution of the message, Moses said, is a
typical case of EPA deference to
employers. "The industry wants to do
what it bloody well wants to do," she
added.
This was substantiated when Mark
Maslyn, a representative of the American
Farm Bureau Federation, an employer
group, said his organization was pleased
that "We've been somewhat successful" in
persuading EPA to follow its recommendations.
REVIEW PROCESS
The new proposals will be reviewed by
other federal agencies before they are
presented to Congress. This will take four
to six months; the new regulations are
not expected to be ready until 1989.
This means that during the se.cond half
of 1988 EPA's proposed new regualtions
will be the subject of hearings and votes
in Congress. Testimony and pressure is
bieng organized by farm unions and legal
support organizations, but they are
calling for support from others as well.
Demands are not only to strengthen the
proposals and fight off employer attempts
to weaken them further, but also to put
teeth into regulations-sanctions with
criminal liability for employers who
violate them.
"Education and Community Succes.s"
a panel discussion featuring:
Juan Arambula, Maria Escobar, and.Jose Villarreal
Thursday, May 5
7:00 p.m., S.C.U.
sponsored by semana de la Raza
Page 4
Monday, May 2, 1988
THE POWER TO TEACH
I feel sometimes
powerless and small
overwhelmed and
inadequaae
engulfed
in thoughts and feelings
that~what
lam . g
is insignificant,
that my life's pursuit,
that my te.aching,
is futile.
And l say
"Who am I
to change the world?
Whoaml
to think
that I can make a
diftiereoce.?"
And then
I reflect
on the young peopole
under my charge,
and I think about
. my role and
about what power,
if any,
I have.
And I find
that I am not
devoid of resources
or strength,
that I am,
inndeed,
endowed with talent
and ability
and strength.
I guess you
I do,
could say
after all,
that is power!
decide what
will be taught
No one else.
And i9e ..-y.ly
I have the power.
myperogathe
I have the vigor to motivate,
when it will be talght
the fullness to laugh,
the courage to control.
and how, and where.
I have the power to uplift
And why
and to create
it will be taught
and, when rm red-hot,
the intensity to inspire!
To a great extent
I determine
I can form my students
the cwriculmn.
into lines or circless
And the richness
triangles or squares.
and intensity
with which it is taught
My influence is such
is in my hands.
I can tum their ver:y
feelings
I have that power.
into Fs or A's.
And I have the ability
With just one look
tolllink
I can let a student know
and to . . .
that everything is well
and then to implement;
with the world
to select from my
repertoire
And I can use
of skills
my hands.
the one best suited
Turned up
to my pwpose,
to lift them up.
Most adullts
Or turned down
would be fortunate
to keep them down.
to perllaps last
C\
out one day ·
What power do naave
overse.eing a roomful
in the system?
of kids.
In the eyes
My cxchestration
of my students
makes enlightened music
lam
of the chaotic din.
the system.
And I have the power
to lead them places
they did not know existe.d,
to build them hick up
when society
tears them down,
to catapult them higher
than I myself will ever
reach,
and to push them gently,
but assuredly,
in_!> the unknown,
painting for them
in broad brush strokes
a future .
I can nver
hope to see.
If I succee.d
I p~ the knowledge
about what is important
to the next generation.
And,
because their world
will be the better
for my labor
mine is an important
service
to a just cause.
I even affect
the weather!
What I do
every day
detennines whether
their world
will be indifferent cold,
or sweathouse hot,
or wann, inviting, alive,
and vibrant
with learning.
I have an awesome power.
It is a happiness
that comes from knowing
that a part of us
forever,
transplanted,
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
Mine is a
giving power.
And it is
within my discretion
to design a rigid,
competitive structure
or a cooperative,
helping
network
in my c ~ .
And when the last day comes,
and it is time for us to part
we gather together
say our goodbyes
and separate.
All that I kn()w
about the world
and about how
one learns
about the world
I must give.
And in the giving
of my gift,
I recieve
my greatest power:
the power to teach
my students
to learn how to learn.
Enpowering them
is of the essence,
for if their teacher
feels sometimes
powerless and small,
how insignificant
m~they
sometimes feel?
lives..
No, thrives!
inside of each
individual who.
has gazed at us
across tired
brown desks
and called us
"Teacher."
Even on a down day
when rm feeling puney
amd insignificant
even I try hard
to remember
that all it takes
is one person
just one person!
to make a difference
in their lives.
And,
there is no reason
in the world
that that person
can not
and should not
beme!
I can make a difference!
That is my power.
That is the power to teach
-Dr. Frank Trujillo
Day
of the
Teacher
MAY 11, 1988
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
-
Trujillo
Mexico has honored its teachers and the teaching profession
since the early 1900's. There, it is the custom to bring
flowers and read poetry for teachers each May 15. In
Guadalajara, there is even a statue dedicated to the teacher (el
maestro), created from the metal of keys donated by school
children. The two-headed statue represents the dual roles of
teachers - the educator and the social reformer.
-
Although the teaching profession in the U.S. has always
been respectable, it is neither revered nor honored as it is in
the Mexican tradition. In 1983 the Association of Mexican
American Educators (AMAE), a California-based volunteer
association dedicated to the betterment of educatin for ChicanoLatino students, initiated a statewide campaign to establish
EL DIA DEL MAESTRO (literally, DAY OF THE
TEACHER) in California.
The group found virtually no oppos1tton - nor great
enthusiasm - in the beginning. One problem: the desired day
(May 15) was in the state code as the deadline for dismissal of
teachers. The legislation first carried and introduced by State
Senator Joseph Montoya set the date for observance as the
second Tuesday in April. After two years of the April
celebrations, Senator Montoya introduced an amendment to
come closer to the May goal. Now set as the Second
Wednesday in May, it falls in 1988 on May 11, and
Califomia is ready for the sixth, and largest, annual
observance.
Dr. Joe Santana, President, State AMAE
Page 5 Monday, May 2, 1988
inner visions
AVENIDA de REVOLUCION
as i stand here
here on the threshold of my future
i contemplate the rason for being
am i here to only please and help myself
if so
then the hell with everybody else
I think not
there must be something more
are you a reflection of myself
if you are
then I must take care of thee
for i can not truly know
myself
if I do not know thee
Mystic Warrior
time passes ever so continually
people are dying ever so continually
but do I care
no
because
I make money ever so continually
fuck this capitalistic ideology
ever so continually
Mystic Warrior
Perched peacefully atop the bridge of life
Sit the beautiful children
Nwnb to the noxious stench of urine
And the rest of the shit
That comprises their existence
Singing La Bamba
Hoping
Wishing
Praying
That the young Mexican haters
Could find it somewhere
Anywhere
To be generous
Just this once
But of course-The young Mexican haters
Who come by the thousands
~~gg
Poetry
Corner
wrucn tne oeauutut ctuJaren smg
but they fail to hear
In their tequila clouded ears
Large families set up homes
In front of Woolworths and Dennys
And anywhere else their is room
Inviting the young Mexican haters
Into their homes to visit and see the family heirlooms
Treasures of combs, batteries, cigarettes,
And exploiting the exploited
lottery tickets lighters chicklets
Never see the children
.
.
And pricel~• Indian h'ace1ets '
Nor do they hear the sttums of tiny gwtars Which the people offer up as gifts
Or the_wails ?fa proud people
Only to be shunned
Who smg theu song
.
~
By the young Mexican haters
The song that the young Mexican Haters Who go ao the neighbors
~ to in their exclusive clubs
.Looking yet, for a better deal
Without ever a thought
'The young Mexican haters
From where the song came
Who've come by the thousands
No!
To eat
The young Mexican Haters
to drink
Rush their obnoxious selves
to party
To their exclusive clubs
to carouse
Which plays the song
But not with the prisoners
Whom they guard with their greed
Instral they rejoice
For they are free to roam
To conquer the streets
And peer in the windows
Of the people's homes
Spying on the loving mothers
Feeding milk to the babies
While ignoring the children
Who possess but one thing
An empty tin cup
Which ovenlow with my tears.
Larry-Michael-Hobson
ODE TO CIIlLES
Mis padres like the
stingmg flavor of your seeds.
Waxen green, yellow,
red thumbs and elongated ,
bells on church towers.
You always grow ripe
for the harvest which
spells your death.
Kneeling, mis padres would
pinch your tip,
snap you from your shrunken branch and
strip bare the bush
with such speed,
their buckets would
form a mountain
above the can's rusted rim.
Even though you are stored in a bin,
you refuse to remain lifeless.
Perhaps your flesh settles into a fwy
because of the
rage of my
slaughtered ancestors who
seek revenge by hiding under your skin.
IDEALISTIC YOUTH
JERRY'S (FALWELL) GIRLS
Born into poverty, sold into slavery.
Now you're middle class and moving up fast.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wind and die.
I remember sitting around drinking the "Bird."
Talking about politics and changing the world.
We used to dream about living in Utopia.
But now you're too good to be my friend.
Daughters are born day by day
No trumpets blaring no cigars
Mothers mistake
No little Gippers
No one to follow in fathers footsteps
No one IO follow
To carry on
Carry on the family name
Remember when we were outcasts for taking a stand?
We carried signs and spoke our minds.
We weren't afraid to fight for our rights.
But now you've gone out and joined the man.
4 years of college, no years of knowledge.
Now you're working for IBM.
Big expense account, a company car.
But do you know who you are?
Daddy's little girl
Pigtails and lace
Soon to folow in mommy's place
Born to be a martyr
For better or worse
Born IO be a martyr
To serve and obey
You were born into poverty and sold into slavery.
And now you're middle c~ and moving up fast
You've turned your back on what you believed.
Now you're voting Republican and going to chun;h.
You've sold yourself to IBM
Joined a country club and have got new friends.
Always on top of every new trend.
And now you're too good to be my friend.
Sentenced IO the kitchen
To cook and clean
The husband is the head
A bible made king
Women be feminine
Submit IO your man
Or you11 throw off
God's ready made plan
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mis padres eat you every day with
tortillas and came because
for them you are sweet hot mole.
-Pedro Lopez Ramirez
Remember drinking Olde English by the rail road ttacks?
Singing songs and talking politics?
We used to dream about the revolution,
Now you've joined the problem and abandoned the solution.
You've,made some money and fed your greed.
But you're a prostitute no better than me.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wine and die.
Larry -Michael-Hobson
Page 6
Monday, May 2, 1988
La. Voz
Jackson back in stride
population who, by virtue of their class
JESSE MAKES A MARK
Jackson's candidacy has already
and social status, have borne the brunt of
Reagan's counter-offensive.
dramatiacally impacted the 1988 election
Four years ago, political professionals,
campaign. Jackson shines through as the
the Black establishment and most
most articulate spokesperson for a
ANTI-RACIST POPULISM
Americans treated the Jesse Jackson
coherent alternative to Re.aganism. The
The recasting of Jackson's appeal is an
campaign as a joke, at best characterizing success of his populist message has had a essential part of a campaign strategy of
it as a symbolick Black effort without
salutary effect on the Democratic Party,
playing to win: broadening his support
much real potential. Today, very few are
helping to at least detour it from its
among white voters; gaining the respectlaughing. As Jesse Jackson traverses the
rightward trajectory. And duplicating the
or at least neutralizing the hostility-of the
country from Iowa back raods to the
dynamic of the 1984 campaign,
more conservative inner circles of the
nation's urban centers, America has been
progressives and working cJass forces
Democratic Party; making inroads into
forced to talce the Reverend's bid for the
once again find themselves in a favorable the Black political establishment, and
Democratic presidential nomination
building a professional campaign
position to use the accelerated political
seriously.
organi7.ation.
involvement brought about by a
Ironically, one measure of Jackson's
presidential year to advance not just the
The Jackson candidacy presents by far
success consists of the scope and nature
prospects of a particular candidate, but a
the most direct challenge to the Jast seven
of the criticisms that have been leveled at broader vision of the politics of peace and ye.ars of aggressive military
him. This is only to be expected from the justice as well.
interventionism and a radicalized assault
ruling power elite, and they have not been
on the U.S. working class. Unlike the
That potential in 1988 is buttressed by
lax in their attempts to discredit Jackson's a combination of factors. First and
rest of the Democratic contenders,
bid. Psychological profiles speculating on foremost, Reaganism is at an impasse.
Jackson operates from a coherent
The Contragate scandal and the Sm ict
everything from his sex life to his
alternative framework, with a program
peace initiatives have thrown the war
mother's unmarried state at the time of
that defends the "little guy" against the
his birth have titillated the readers of even mongers on the defensive, at least
big corporations, that counterposes the
such sober-minded papers as the New
temporarily. Combined with the trade
family farmer to greedy agribusiness, that
York Times. Politically, Jackson's
deficit, the budget deficit,' a wavering
projects a sound economy rather than a
detractors have carped on the question of
stock market and a se.a of scandal lapping military buildup as the basis for national
his lack of "electability" and on whether
at the White House door, the huge
security.
the country could possibly vote for a
popularity enjoyed by the President has
Jackson's message takes head-on the
Black man. The force of the attack has
been substantially eroded over the past
Re.agan administration's obvious
been sufficient to fuel the doubts of a
two ye.ars.
preference for the rich and powerful. His
section of liberals and even a few on the
Meantime, the Democratic Party is up
attempt to forge an anti-racist populism
left, who have decided to keep their
for grabs, without a Walter Mondale on
is introduing a rudimentary form of
distance for one or another dubious
the scene holding a lock on the
working class consciounsness into the
reason.
nomination. Jackson's 1988 rivals are
arena of a presidential campaign. By
Within the ranks of Jackson's active
distinguished mainly by their anonymity
re.aching out and incorporating the
supporters, however, a different debaw has and their lack of a visible base of
grievances and interests of sector after
emerged: not over whether Jackson really political support.
·sector of. the population, Jackson's appeal
believes what he says, but over whether
has become both more inclusive and more
Finally, the clout of the Black vote has
compelling. At the same time, there is no
the attempt to "mainstream" the 1988
made itself felt at the ballot box. Starting
mistaking Jackson for the rest of the
campaign will sap the progressive
in 1984, Blacks turned out in impressive
impulse Jackson's most dedicated
numbers to back Jackson's bid; they went pack, even in their most liberal moments.
Any Jackson speech is bound to invoke
supporters embody. Specifically, there is
on in 1986 to provide the margin that
the legacy of working class political
a fear in some quarters that the emphasis
assured a Democratic majority in the
struggle in a way none of the other
on reaching out to a broader cross-section Senate and Robert Bork's defeat in 1987.
Democrats would dare to; his standard
of the electorate could exert a rightward
Added to this core of suppon are the
stump address is full of empowerment,
determined effons Jackson has made to
pull and qualitatively compromise the
expand his base among farmers, women,
not just legislative proposals.
.
campaign. Jackson's move toward the
organized labor, environmentalists, the
And for all the focus on building the
mainstream is certainly not without its
white stripe of the Rainbow, Jackson
peace movement and the lesbian/gay
problems. But these questions, too, are a
continues to be the only candidate who
sign of Jackson's success; they could only movement It gets harder every day to
constantly challenges white voters to cast
marginaliu Jackson as the "Black"
come up once it had be.come clear to
candidate; he enters this primary season ru off their racial blinders. When wt6.te
everyone in the country that in 1988,
the "progressive" candidate who speaks
farmers and blue-collar workers, including
Jesse Jackson is pJaying in the big
for the ever-widening sectors of the
many who supported Re.agan four short
le.agues.
FRON1LINE
By Frances M Beal
years ago, actively contemplate voting tor
Jackson, there is a ring of truth to the
"unelectable" frontrunner's retort: "In
some senses, rm winning every day.
Americans sit back watching 'residential
sweepstalces '88'; they see six
Republicans, six Democrats. .They watch
my response to the questions and
challenges. America is getting more used
to the ide.a every day that of those 12,
Jesse Jackson could become President"
DEALING WITII DEMOCRATS
Clearly, those within the Democratic
Party who are interested in a simple
changing of the guard rather than a change
of direction feel more than a bit
discomfited by the Jackson phenomenon.
But the new momentum he has built up
has alre.ady provided a deterrent to those
who would prefer to conciliate as much of
Reaganism as necessary and let the socalled "special interests" of minorities,
women and labor fall off the party's
agenda. Jackson represents a frontal rebuff
to the conservative game plan for the
Democratic Party: his whole campaign is
built on the premise that there is a broad
base for the politics of peace and justice,
and that what the Democrats have to do is
to go out and find it
The question of how to ere.ate a
pennanent vehicle for working class
politics will remain on the agenda of the
people's movement long after the current
campaign conlcudes. While the Jackson
candidacy may in some ways compund
the problem at the moment, it can also
make an essential contribuiton to the
solution. In 1984, progessJve activists
and the most conscious section ·of the
working class movement rallied to
Jackson because the Rainbow campaign
represented the intrusion of a force
speaking for the ''Locked out" onto the
terrain of national electoral politics. The
present trajectory of the 1988 campaign
can still operate to maximize that
potential. And that is the reason why the
most committed elements in the
movement are once again throwin g their
support and resources behind the Jackson
candidacy.
FSU Student seeks office
By Jaime P. Rodriguez
California State University, Fresno
student Paul Comparan, a graduate student in criminology is seeking a position
on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. He hopes that a grass-roots campaign (going door-to-door) will culminate
with a victory on June 7th over incumbent, Judy ~ n .
Born in Riverside, California, his
family moved to Fresno County when he
was two, and he was raised in the Reedley
area. He completed his fonnal education
at Reedley High School. After graduation
Comparan was hired by the California of the thousands of dollars spent annually
Highway Patrol where he dedicated the to house a criminal to other county departnext 18 years as a hghway patrolman un- ments. Comparan said that county servitil his retirement. He decided to enroll at ces for the elderly, the physically handiFresno State after retirement and fullfiled capped, mental health clinics, recreationhis life long desired dream of obtaining a al facilities, and Valley Medical Center
B.S. de2ree.
are severly under funded because of misAs a holder of a B.S. in Criminology management by the current board.
and a retired California Highway Patrol
Paul Comparan added that he believes
Officer, Comparan has foresight on in listening to the needs of the people in
crime. His solution to the crime prob- Fresno County and working within the
lem is not building more jails, but find- government structure to bring workable
ing and implementing a workable alter- solution that will the county. "The taxnative sentencing program. A program payer has a right to expect the best serthat will reduce crime and transfer some vice available and it is the supervisors res-
ponsibility to see that he gets it". This
means according to Comparan, "the responsibility of the supervisor is, to provide the best management team possible,
as well as accountability". The conclusion will make for better informed decisions for the county and the District 5
constituents.
Paul Comparan feels that he can provide the leadership that will insure Fresno
County of improved goverment services.
"The future of Fresno County," adds Comparan, "rests on our decisions today. The
Board of Supervisors needs to hear that
working people are concerned about their
future and their children's future.
~--~~------~-----------------------------------------------~------------------~
.
C
CIDCANO COMMENCEMENT
APPLICATION DEADLINE-MAY 12, 1988
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: 294-2848
L _____________________________________________________________________________ J
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 7
-La.Voz
M.E. Ch.A:Review
by Karen M. Cogley
The contemporary use of the term HisAztlan, in the Nahuaatl tongue of panic is in reference to all people of Latin
ancient Mexico means, the lands to the or Spanish descent. Like the term Latino
north. Aztlan is the area north of Mexico Hispanic disregards our unique culturai
which was once inhabited by the Aztec heritage.
Legislation imposd on us by elected
people, of which Chicanos are descendofficials
in our government acts as a
ants. This is the area now refered to as
manifestation
of common disregard for
the Southwest of the United States-where
the majority of Chicanos currently reside. our culture. Proposition 63, English as
Chicanas/Chicanos are people who the Official Language, proposed that
have made a conscious decision to work California become a state where only
for the advancement of the Chicano com-· ~nglish would be accepted as the legitmunity. M.E.Ch.A. students express this lillate language. Funding cuts for bilinconscious decision by their commitment gual education is another example of
to the progress of Chicanos in higher attacks against our right to an education.
education. The High School Outreach People whose primary language is not
Committee tutors students, facilitates English, understand best the significance
group discussions with young people, and of learning the language to succed in the
encourages them to complete their high U.~. However, without bilingual eduschool education. Our Chicano Youth c~tJ.on. we must learn English and sacConference committee organizes a one rifice_ education. Legislation barring the
day conference providing informaton ~parush_ language stands in contempt of
about college, culture, and awarenes about mtematJ.onal law. Spanish--an intrinsic
quality in Mexican culture is protected by
commmtity issues.
~ international treaty of Guadalupe
M.E.Ch.A. students are active in comHidalgo. The end of funding for the Colbatting issues of tantamount concern lege Assistant Migrant Program by the
which affect our community. For exam~ederal _government is the final example
ple, we bring our concerns to the attenillus~tJ.ng the government's disregard for
tion of elected officials, in an effort to
our nght to an education and the intelensure that our people work and live in a lectual development of our culture.
healthy environment We protest against
Because we still do not share as equal
Undocumented immigrants suffer--U.S. amnesty a false promise.
the infilitration of our neighborhoods by
participants
in decisions which affect us-drug dealers, bars, and liquor stores (as
seen in Madera along "C" street), because our people have organized in a collective
Two of the biggest factors in com- we recognize ~t these influences breed effort to create change. As Chicano studbating racism on our campuses is to ad- crime, prostitution, drug addiction, and ents we organized; and set forth to expand
mit that racism exists and to acknowl- violence. We also demand just treatment and take rank in the movement progElsewhere, the incidents were equally as edge cultural diversity. This is not an by law enforcenment agencies, and work ressing towards a just society. A society
disheartening: White students hurled racial easy task. People of all races have dif- in coalition with community organiza- in which there is social, economic, politaunts at students going to hear Rev. ficulty coming to terms with those con- tions in achieving these demands. M.E.- tical justice and equality for all people.
Chicano students were active during
Jesse Jackson speak at Northern Illinois cepts. But once those concepts are accept- Ch.A.'s actions reflect our commitment
the civil rights movement of the 1960's,
University. A group of white University ed it becomes easier to find solutions to to the Chicano/Mexicano community.
of Texas students organiud to rid the the problem.
The scope of Mexican history exemp- but for the first time in history they came
Fortunately, some colleges and univer- lifies a proud people. Our Aztec ancestry together, in mass, to carve out their policampus of "outspoken" minorities. The
campus radio station at the University of sities are learning that a school's response goes back to approximately 1000 A.D. tical agenda within this movemenl In
Michigan was forced to temporarily cease to a racial incident is as important-if not This advanced society included compul- the summer of 1969, three thousand
operation after a disc jockey and his !DQDt._important as the incident itself. sory educatin for children, a comple,i young Chicanos met in the Crusade for
"You have to let students know," says legal system, advanced medical tech- Justice in Denver, Colorado, at the
callers insulted Blacks on the air.
Adele
Terrell, program director of the Na- niques, and a deep appreciation for art Chicano Liberation Youth Conference.
Few experts are surprised by these
incidents. Racism, they say, is inherent tional Institute Against Prejudice and Vio- poetry and music. Mexican society wru They went on to detail their goalsin American society and, therefore, exists lence in Baltimore, "that such behavior is forged by courageouus men and womer through the reborn symbol of Aztin the university community. In orther unacceptable."
who fought against a strong French arm} lan... This plan is refered to as El Plan
words, colleges and universities, despite
and won their independence in 1865 Espiritual de Aztlan. The theme of this
their scholarly aims, closely reflect the - But we must face the fact that racism They are also a people who threw-off ~ plan is nationalism-as the key or common denominator for mass mobilization
world outside their gates. And judging does exist and is on the rise. We cannot successful revolution.
and
organizatiion. The philosophy-- of
from incidents such as those at Howard take the posture of one government offiA heritage rich in the legacy of strugBeach, Forsyth County and South Africa, cial who claimed there were "no signs" of gle, we refer to owselves as Chica- Chicano youth of the early 1970's is
outlined in this Plan: nationalism and
that world appears to have become more increasing racial activity.
na/Chicano. These terms have historical
organizational goals regarding economy,
overtly racist.
meaning and they serve to reafirm our
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - p r o u d l n d i a n / M e x i c a n heritage. We refrain education, institutions, self-defense of the
community, cultural values, political
from using terms such as Hispanic or Latliberaton, and the action to be taken on
ino, because these were imposed on us.
ANNOUNCEMENT
all of the goals.
Latino is a term used to denote all
Spanish speaking people of the world; it
Years have passed since this historic
THE CCNMA-Fresno/Fresno Bee Scholarship
does not distinguish our unique culture event, and M.E.Ch.A. has emerged as the
fora
from other Spanish speaking cultures. Chicano student organization to represent
, CSUF, Journalism Student
Hispanic is a term derived from the word the true objective interests of ChicaHispania, the ancient Roman name for no/Mexicano/Latino students. M.E.Ch.A.
The Fresno Capter of the California Chicano News Media the country of Spain. And later, HisAssociation and The Fresno Bee announce the opening of panos were the 16th century Spanish
the application process for $4,000 in scholarships to explorers who settled in New Mexico.
Tension
be awarded to Hispanic students attending
or planning
to attend California State University, Fresno in 198889 and pursuing a career in
journalism or mass
communications.
Applications
June 1.
must
be
postmarked
no
later
than
Qualified students will be awarded scholarships $250
to $1,000 at the CCNMA-Fresno's 4th Annual
Memorial
Scholarship
Banquet
in
Ernesto
Moreno
August.
For applications, call 266-1391 or write:
The CCNMA-Fresno
P.O. Box 12384
Fresno, California 93777
See M.E.Ch.A. p. 8
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
featuring: Cruz Reyunoso
former Supreme Court Justice of California
Wednesday, May 4
12:00 noon
Satellite College Union
sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the C.U. Programming Committee
Page 8
,I
Monday, May 2, 1988
La ·Voz
experienced a changing political climateto our disadvantage, and many times we
are without support from certain groups
or agencies.
M.E.Ch.A.
developed the philosophy set forth in
Colorado into a progresive, inclusive political agenda of economic and social
justice for all people.
M.E.Ch.A. has a clear, decisive political agenda from which all actions are a
reflection. M.E.Ch.A. works in coalitions with many groups and organization
on a variety of issues; however, M.ECh.A. has never "sold-out", compromised, or vacillated on issues, because it
has never existed for any other reason that
improving the conditions of life for the
campus, community, country, and the
international community. We believe an
organization not possessing clear guidelines, be it progressive or conservative,
which are built on a solid foundation
leaves itself open to others with opposing ideas (not different ideas) but ideas
that are in opposition of the essence of
that organization.
As a progressive Chicana/Chicano student organization of nearly 20 years, we
contend with many obstacles: Our statewide structure continues to be plagued by
devisive elements, there exists at times
personality conflicts among members, we
lack strong financial resources, we have
It is necessary that an organization be
critical of itself in order to grow. M.E.Ch.A. encourages critical discussion and
debate. However, we understand that opposing influences sway and misguide. An
organization allowing such influences
either diminishes after the few persuasive
leaders have left, or it becomes something far removed from its original intent
M.E.Ch.A. will not endorse a cause at
the expense of another. All issues which
effect the Chicano/minority community
are of equal value. We will not say, for
example, that culltural events which
promote a positive understanding of our
people-Semana de la Raza, is so important that we will forsake a union on
strike to retain adequate wages and health
benefits. For example, accepting contribuitons for our cultural events from a
company that refuses to empower its
workers-H.P. Metzler. Token gestures
versus empowerment is the difference
between a company that highers a -'arge
percentage of minorities, but offers only
a few positions of administrative influence, or executive power.
Tony, good luck in Kansas City from Lisa, Kurt and Jolly Carcass.
CSU, FRESNO MECHA
presents _
Semana de La Raza's
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
MONDAY, MAY 2
12:00 noon Mal~uias Montoya
"Chicano Art and Politics" (S.C.U.)
7:00 p.m.
Chicano Poetry featuring
*Juan Feli~ Herrera
*Margarita Luna Robles
*Omar Salinas
*El Grito de La Genta (Musical Group)
TUESDAY, MAY 3 - Children's Day (S.C.U.)
9:00 a.m. Children's Performances
11 :00 a.m. Roberto Cardenas, Magician
Pinatas - courtesy of Colmena Hispana and
Mex-Tech Student Organization
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
12:00 noon Cruz Reynoso
Former Supreme Court Justice of
Califonna
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
Sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the College Union
Programming Committee
THURSDAY, MAY 5
11 :00 a.m. Tardeada (area between Satellite College
Union and Joyal Adminstration Building)
*Food Booths
*Mariachi Zapopan
*Clovis Marimoa Band
*Ninos de Aztlan (Children's Folkoric Dance Group)
7:00 p.m.
Community Night
Mariachi Zapopan (S.C.U.)
Panel: "Education and Community Succ~" ·
*Jua,n Arambula,·School Board Member, Fresno Unified
School District
*Maria Escobar, President of the Association of Mexican
American Educators
*Jose Vil arreal, First Chicano Public Defender for
Fresno County1/
* Los Dan7.alltes de Aztlan (Mexican Folkoric
Dance Company, California State University, Fresno)
5:30 p.m. Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Banquet
Reception- CSUF, Residence Dining Hall
FRIDAY, MAY 6
·
· .
7:00 p.m. "Dimensions of Change in Latin America" (
Upstairs Cafeteria, Room 200)
*Dr. Fernando Alegria, Stanford University
*Dr. Ignacio Gallardo, Universidad Iberoamericana,
Tijuana, B~a California, Mexico
*Dr. James Crockc,;oft, San Diego State Univerisity
*Dr. Manuel FigUA:roa, CSU, Fresno, Chicano-Latino
Studies Program
*Dr. Cosme Zaragoza, CSU, Fresno, Spanish Department
6:00 p.m. Dinner
For information call: 294-4775
$25.00 per person
SATURDAY, MAY 7
8:00 to Midni2ht
:DANCE (S.C.U.)
California State University, Fresno
•..
::;::
>:/""
·f1•
Monday, May 2, 1988
Page 2
Monday, May 2, 1988
.I
La. Voz
~a
oz ~e zt an
Commitment Continues
La Voz de Aztlan was established in 1969. Its mission over the last 19 years has been to educate Raza. T
educate people about the true conditions in which we live. To remind students that man
Chicanos/Mexicanos opened the door so that we could have more opportunities. It has been La Voz de Aztlan's
oal this year to continue in this tradition.
La Voz serves not only as a voice for the Chicano/Mexicano community, but it also acts as a teaching tool. In
n effort to include as many diverse views and opinions as possible the paper continues to reflect the social,
olitical, and cultural needs of all Chicanos.
The issues raised by La Voz de Aztlan are of importance, especially today in this era of rising racism.
nfortunately, many Latinos have forgotten the price that our people have paid to remove the barriers o
·scrimination. As a people, we are still treated as "illegal aliens" in this country built by immigrant labor, and
e must never turn our faces away from racism arid oppresion against all people.
The only way in which we can stop discrimina~ion is to make others aware that racist and oppressive acts
·n not be tolerated. And, the only way in which we have the power to do this is to work together. La Voz
es all of you to utilize the media as one means to eradicate the menace to our constitutional rights.
Let us then continue forward and work together to improve the quality of life for all people.
oun
•
ex1can
MAPA-AD HOC COALITION TO STOP THE
BORDER PATROL RAIDS
AGAINST MEXICAN-LOOKING PEOPLE. NEARLY A HUNDRED
WERE DEPORTED AND A FEW WERE RELEASED AFTER
BEING HELD IN JAIL FOR HOURS ONCE THEY PROVED
COMMISSIONER HAROLD EZELL WAS IN FRESNO ON APRIL ELEGIBILITY FOR AMNESTY.
21, TO SHOW HIS EFFORTS IN THE PROCESS TO LEGALIZE
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. MR. EZELL WILL SHOW HOW ONCE AGAIN, MR. HAROLD EZELL, OUR COMMUNITY
HUMANITARIAN AND GENEROUS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BELIEVES
THAT
THESE
RAIDS
ARE
TOTALLY
THE AMNESTY PROGRAM HAS BEEN.
INCONSISTENT WITH THE EFFORTS TO BRING THE
UNDOCUMENTED COMMUN_ITY OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
HOWEVER, "BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS OF FRESNO'S THESE BORDER PATROL RAIDS ONLY INCREASE THE FEAR
CHINATOWN HAVE ANOTHER STORY TO TELL.
AND UNCERTAINTY AMONG POTENTIAL APPLICANTS.
EVEN MORE, THE BORDER PATROL IS C_REATING THE
THIS PAST SATURDAY, VANS AND AGENTS FROM THE CONDITIONS FOR MORE TRAGIC CASES LIKE THE KILLING
BORDER PATROL UNLEASHED A MASSIVE ROUND-UP OF THE YOUNG WORKER ISMAEL RAMIREZ.
La Voz
cle. Azt[an.
Pablo Gutierrez S.
Editor
Contributing Writers:
Production:
Karen
M. Cogley
Jaime Fernandez
Jaime P. Rodriguez
Lisa Y. Flores
M. PJvera
Assistant Editor
Pedro Ramirez-Advisor
Special Contributions:
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mystic Warrior
Bill Lerch-Distribution
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 3
Pesticide killing
farmworkers
FRONTLINE
By Morris Wright
Cesar Chavez and the VFW continue the fight against pesticide
poisonings and the rights of farmworkers.
Racial Tension
Black Issues in Higher Education,
By De.nnis Schatzm.(ln.
Dartmouth, Univ. of Massachusetts,
UMass-Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Brown, Wellesley, Tufts, Yale... all
institutions of higher learning in New
England. But they have somehting more
dubious in common. All have experienced
ugly racial incidents among students on
campus within the last 18 months.
Nationwide, racism is again rearing its
ugly head on campuses with greater frequency in recent months. It seems ironic,
however, that many institutions, faced
with this dilemma, are based in the New
England states, the birthplace of "liberty,"
the Constitution and the Abolitoinist
movement. Consider these blights:
*a Black female was taunted as "dark
meat" by Dartmouth football players.
· *White UMas-Amherst students, following the World Series finale, attacked
a small group of Black Mets fans on
campus, injuring several.
*A Jewish Tufts University student
was allegedly beaten by fellow whites
after writing a newspaper article denounracism.
· *At Smith College, racial slurs were
spray-painted on the steps of the
Minority Cultural Center.
0' cing
See Tension p. 7
Minority Journalism Workshop
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
July 18 - Aug. 5
Fann Workers' unions have been voices
crying in the wilderness against exposure
of field workers to pesticides that
debilitate and kill. The United Farm
Workers (UFW) publish monthly horror
stories of deformed children, sickness and
death from pesticides.
The rest of us are told to wash our
fruits and vegetables, but 2.3 million
farm workers have to touch them,
unwashed, all day long, and breathe the
dust and fumes.
UFW president Cesar Chavez, writing
in the union's publication Food and
Justice, has estimated that 300,000 pesticide poisonings occur each year, and has
presented many case histories, including
that of a boy born with no anns or legs
to parents who work in the fields. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has not commented on Chavez' statements except to admit that many cases of
pesticide poisoning go unreported.
There are federal rules and some state
laws concerning protective clothing and
time intervals after spraying before
workers can be required to enter the he1ds,
but they are poorly enforced and often
ignored. ·
EPA, responding to lobbying by farm
unions, the Migrant Legal Assistance
Project (MLAP) and California Rural
Legal Assistance, is preparing to revise
its rules. But a draft proposal of revisions
is "weak in almost every area," according
to Shelly Davis, a MLAP lawyer.
However, she added, "Anything would be
some improvemenL"
This glacial process has been dragging
on since 1985, when EPA assembled
representatives of unions, employers and
other concerned groups in an effort to get
agreement in advance on its proposals. In
1986 the labor representatives walked out
in protest against EPA's bias in favor of
employers.
Now, representatives of UFW, the
Farm Labor· Organizing Committee
(FLOC) and MLAP are meeting and
traveling together to agricultural areas,
preparing a critique of EPA's proposals.
EPA DRAFf PROPOSAL
The current EPA proposal does contain
some provisions that are be~ter than what
now exists. Among other things, the 237page EPA proposal would:
*Extend coverage to 300,000 workers
in nurseries and green houses, and to
forestry workers and those employed by
labor contractors;
*Require monitoring of blood of those
exposed
to pesticides for the longest
from
HOW TO APPL V:
Application forms are available
periods to check for an enzyme attacked
your journalism adviser, the CCNMA and The Bee (see by the most toxic substances. The
below). Completed applications must be returned by enzyme is necessary for pr~r
functioning of the nervous system. nus
May 16 to CCNMA at the address below.
would not be required for 75% of field
AT THE FRESNO BEE
Minorit~
to
Write
FURTHER
INFORMATION:
Journalism Workshop, CCNMA Fresno, P.O. Box 12384,
Fresno, CA 93777.
Questions can be directed to Dr. Harry Kennedy, the
workshop director, at 453-1644 evenings; to Tom
Uribes of CCNMA, workshop co-director, at 266-1391
or 275-0717; or to Donald Slinkard, Fresno Bee
managing editor, at 441-6442.
workers, who are exposed for "only"
three weeks a year. Many of the latter
groups, as well as the fonner, are afflicted
by nervous disorders.
*Require waiting periods of 24 to 48
hours after application of pesticides before
workers could be sent into the fields.
They could be required to enter sooner if
protective clothing were provided.
Such laws are on the books in some
states, but Frontline has been told by
workers in the Salinas, California area
that they had been threatened with firing
if tfiey refused to enter a field that was
posted. At best, this protection
is
uncertain; nobody knows what period of
time, if any, guarantees safety.
-"anything
would be an
.
"
improvement
EPA has further weakene.d t}ljs degree
of protection by proposing in its new
document that wAning placards at field
entrances no longer display the familiar
skull and crossbones symbol but instead
show an upraised hand and stem face.
Dr. Marian Moses, representing UFW,
told Frontline that she is particularly
upset about this Jast change. This
dilution of the message, Moses said, is a
typical case of EPA deference to
employers. "The industry wants to do
what it bloody well wants to do," she
added.
This was substantiated when Mark
Maslyn, a representative of the American
Farm Bureau Federation, an employer
group, said his organization was pleased
that "We've been somewhat successful" in
persuading EPA to follow its recommendations.
REVIEW PROCESS
The new proposals will be reviewed by
other federal agencies before they are
presented to Congress. This will take four
to six months; the new regulations are
not expected to be ready until 1989.
This means that during the se.cond half
of 1988 EPA's proposed new regualtions
will be the subject of hearings and votes
in Congress. Testimony and pressure is
bieng organized by farm unions and legal
support organizations, but they are
calling for support from others as well.
Demands are not only to strengthen the
proposals and fight off employer attempts
to weaken them further, but also to put
teeth into regulations-sanctions with
criminal liability for employers who
violate them.
"Education and Community Succes.s"
a panel discussion featuring:
Juan Arambula, Maria Escobar, and.Jose Villarreal
Thursday, May 5
7:00 p.m., S.C.U.
sponsored by semana de la Raza
Page 4
Monday, May 2, 1988
THE POWER TO TEACH
I feel sometimes
powerless and small
overwhelmed and
inadequaae
engulfed
in thoughts and feelings
that~what
lam . g
is insignificant,
that my life's pursuit,
that my te.aching,
is futile.
And l say
"Who am I
to change the world?
Whoaml
to think
that I can make a
diftiereoce.?"
And then
I reflect
on the young peopole
under my charge,
and I think about
. my role and
about what power,
if any,
I have.
And I find
that I am not
devoid of resources
or strength,
that I am,
inndeed,
endowed with talent
and ability
and strength.
I guess you
I do,
could say
after all,
that is power!
decide what
will be taught
No one else.
And i9e ..-y.ly
I have the power.
myperogathe
I have the vigor to motivate,
when it will be talght
the fullness to laugh,
the courage to control.
and how, and where.
I have the power to uplift
And why
and to create
it will be taught
and, when rm red-hot,
the intensity to inspire!
To a great extent
I determine
I can form my students
the cwriculmn.
into lines or circless
And the richness
triangles or squares.
and intensity
with which it is taught
My influence is such
is in my hands.
I can tum their ver:y
feelings
I have that power.
into Fs or A's.
And I have the ability
With just one look
tolllink
I can let a student know
and to . . .
that everything is well
and then to implement;
with the world
to select from my
repertoire
And I can use
of skills
my hands.
the one best suited
Turned up
to my pwpose,
to lift them up.
Most adullts
Or turned down
would be fortunate
to keep them down.
to perllaps last
C\
out one day ·
What power do naave
overse.eing a roomful
in the system?
of kids.
In the eyes
My cxchestration
of my students
makes enlightened music
lam
of the chaotic din.
the system.
And I have the power
to lead them places
they did not know existe.d,
to build them hick up
when society
tears them down,
to catapult them higher
than I myself will ever
reach,
and to push them gently,
but assuredly,
in_!> the unknown,
painting for them
in broad brush strokes
a future .
I can nver
hope to see.
If I succee.d
I p~ the knowledge
about what is important
to the next generation.
And,
because their world
will be the better
for my labor
mine is an important
service
to a just cause.
I even affect
the weather!
What I do
every day
detennines whether
their world
will be indifferent cold,
or sweathouse hot,
or wann, inviting, alive,
and vibrant
with learning.
I have an awesome power.
It is a happiness
that comes from knowing
that a part of us
forever,
transplanted,
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
Mine is a
giving power.
And it is
within my discretion
to design a rigid,
competitive structure
or a cooperative,
helping
network
in my c ~ .
And when the last day comes,
and it is time for us to part
we gather together
say our goodbyes
and separate.
All that I kn()w
about the world
and about how
one learns
about the world
I must give.
And in the giving
of my gift,
I recieve
my greatest power:
the power to teach
my students
to learn how to learn.
Enpowering them
is of the essence,
for if their teacher
feels sometimes
powerless and small,
how insignificant
m~they
sometimes feel?
lives..
No, thrives!
inside of each
individual who.
has gazed at us
across tired
brown desks
and called us
"Teacher."
Even on a down day
when rm feeling puney
amd insignificant
even I try hard
to remember
that all it takes
is one person
just one person!
to make a difference
in their lives.
And,
there is no reason
in the world
that that person
can not
and should not
beme!
I can make a difference!
That is my power.
That is the power to teach
-Dr. Frank Trujillo
Day
of the
Teacher
MAY 11, 1988
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
-
Trujillo
Mexico has honored its teachers and the teaching profession
since the early 1900's. There, it is the custom to bring
flowers and read poetry for teachers each May 15. In
Guadalajara, there is even a statue dedicated to the teacher (el
maestro), created from the metal of keys donated by school
children. The two-headed statue represents the dual roles of
teachers - the educator and the social reformer.
-
Although the teaching profession in the U.S. has always
been respectable, it is neither revered nor honored as it is in
the Mexican tradition. In 1983 the Association of Mexican
American Educators (AMAE), a California-based volunteer
association dedicated to the betterment of educatin for ChicanoLatino students, initiated a statewide campaign to establish
EL DIA DEL MAESTRO (literally, DAY OF THE
TEACHER) in California.
The group found virtually no oppos1tton - nor great
enthusiasm - in the beginning. One problem: the desired day
(May 15) was in the state code as the deadline for dismissal of
teachers. The legislation first carried and introduced by State
Senator Joseph Montoya set the date for observance as the
second Tuesday in April. After two years of the April
celebrations, Senator Montoya introduced an amendment to
come closer to the May goal. Now set as the Second
Wednesday in May, it falls in 1988 on May 11, and
Califomia is ready for the sixth, and largest, annual
observance.
Dr. Joe Santana, President, State AMAE
Page 5 Monday, May 2, 1988
inner visions
AVENIDA de REVOLUCION
as i stand here
here on the threshold of my future
i contemplate the rason for being
am i here to only please and help myself
if so
then the hell with everybody else
I think not
there must be something more
are you a reflection of myself
if you are
then I must take care of thee
for i can not truly know
myself
if I do not know thee
Mystic Warrior
time passes ever so continually
people are dying ever so continually
but do I care
no
because
I make money ever so continually
fuck this capitalistic ideology
ever so continually
Mystic Warrior
Perched peacefully atop the bridge of life
Sit the beautiful children
Nwnb to the noxious stench of urine
And the rest of the shit
That comprises their existence
Singing La Bamba
Hoping
Wishing
Praying
That the young Mexican haters
Could find it somewhere
Anywhere
To be generous
Just this once
But of course-The young Mexican haters
Who come by the thousands
~~gg
Poetry
Corner
wrucn tne oeauutut ctuJaren smg
but they fail to hear
In their tequila clouded ears
Large families set up homes
In front of Woolworths and Dennys
And anywhere else their is room
Inviting the young Mexican haters
Into their homes to visit and see the family heirlooms
Treasures of combs, batteries, cigarettes,
And exploiting the exploited
lottery tickets lighters chicklets
Never see the children
.
.
And pricel~• Indian h'ace1ets '
Nor do they hear the sttums of tiny gwtars Which the people offer up as gifts
Or the_wails ?fa proud people
Only to be shunned
Who smg theu song
.
~
By the young Mexican haters
The song that the young Mexican Haters Who go ao the neighbors
~ to in their exclusive clubs
.Looking yet, for a better deal
Without ever a thought
'The young Mexican haters
From where the song came
Who've come by the thousands
No!
To eat
The young Mexican Haters
to drink
Rush their obnoxious selves
to party
To their exclusive clubs
to carouse
Which plays the song
But not with the prisoners
Whom they guard with their greed
Instral they rejoice
For they are free to roam
To conquer the streets
And peer in the windows
Of the people's homes
Spying on the loving mothers
Feeding milk to the babies
While ignoring the children
Who possess but one thing
An empty tin cup
Which ovenlow with my tears.
Larry-Michael-Hobson
ODE TO CIIlLES
Mis padres like the
stingmg flavor of your seeds.
Waxen green, yellow,
red thumbs and elongated ,
bells on church towers.
You always grow ripe
for the harvest which
spells your death.
Kneeling, mis padres would
pinch your tip,
snap you from your shrunken branch and
strip bare the bush
with such speed,
their buckets would
form a mountain
above the can's rusted rim.
Even though you are stored in a bin,
you refuse to remain lifeless.
Perhaps your flesh settles into a fwy
because of the
rage of my
slaughtered ancestors who
seek revenge by hiding under your skin.
IDEALISTIC YOUTH
JERRY'S (FALWELL) GIRLS
Born into poverty, sold into slavery.
Now you're middle class and moving up fast.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wind and die.
I remember sitting around drinking the "Bird."
Talking about politics and changing the world.
We used to dream about living in Utopia.
But now you're too good to be my friend.
Daughters are born day by day
No trumpets blaring no cigars
Mothers mistake
No little Gippers
No one to follow in fathers footsteps
No one IO follow
To carry on
Carry on the family name
Remember when we were outcasts for taking a stand?
We carried signs and spoke our minds.
We weren't afraid to fight for our rights.
But now you've gone out and joined the man.
4 years of college, no years of knowledge.
Now you're working for IBM.
Big expense account, a company car.
But do you know who you are?
Daddy's little girl
Pigtails and lace
Soon to folow in mommy's place
Born to be a martyr
For better or worse
Born IO be a martyr
To serve and obey
You were born into poverty and sold into slavery.
And now you're middle c~ and moving up fast
You've turned your back on what you believed.
Now you're voting Republican and going to chun;h.
You've sold yourself to IBM
Joined a country club and have got new friends.
Always on top of every new trend.
And now you're too good to be my friend.
Sentenced IO the kitchen
To cook and clean
The husband is the head
A bible made king
Women be feminine
Submit IO your man
Or you11 throw off
God's ready made plan
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mis padres eat you every day with
tortillas and came because
for them you are sweet hot mole.
-Pedro Lopez Ramirez
Remember drinking Olde English by the rail road ttacks?
Singing songs and talking politics?
We used to dream about the revolution,
Now you've joined the problem and abandoned the solution.
You've,made some money and fed your greed.
But you're a prostitute no better than me.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wine and die.
Larry -Michael-Hobson
Page 6
Monday, May 2, 1988
La. Voz
Jackson back in stride
population who, by virtue of their class
JESSE MAKES A MARK
Jackson's candidacy has already
and social status, have borne the brunt of
Reagan's counter-offensive.
dramatiacally impacted the 1988 election
Four years ago, political professionals,
campaign. Jackson shines through as the
the Black establishment and most
most articulate spokesperson for a
ANTI-RACIST POPULISM
Americans treated the Jesse Jackson
coherent alternative to Re.aganism. The
The recasting of Jackson's appeal is an
campaign as a joke, at best characterizing success of his populist message has had a essential part of a campaign strategy of
it as a symbolick Black effort without
salutary effect on the Democratic Party,
playing to win: broadening his support
much real potential. Today, very few are
helping to at least detour it from its
among white voters; gaining the respectlaughing. As Jesse Jackson traverses the
rightward trajectory. And duplicating the
or at least neutralizing the hostility-of the
country from Iowa back raods to the
dynamic of the 1984 campaign,
more conservative inner circles of the
nation's urban centers, America has been
progressives and working cJass forces
Democratic Party; making inroads into
forced to talce the Reverend's bid for the
once again find themselves in a favorable the Black political establishment, and
Democratic presidential nomination
building a professional campaign
position to use the accelerated political
seriously.
organi7.ation.
involvement brought about by a
Ironically, one measure of Jackson's
presidential year to advance not just the
The Jackson candidacy presents by far
success consists of the scope and nature
prospects of a particular candidate, but a
the most direct challenge to the Jast seven
of the criticisms that have been leveled at broader vision of the politics of peace and ye.ars of aggressive military
him. This is only to be expected from the justice as well.
interventionism and a radicalized assault
ruling power elite, and they have not been
on the U.S. working class. Unlike the
That potential in 1988 is buttressed by
lax in their attempts to discredit Jackson's a combination of factors. First and
rest of the Democratic contenders,
bid. Psychological profiles speculating on foremost, Reaganism is at an impasse.
Jackson operates from a coherent
The Contragate scandal and the Sm ict
everything from his sex life to his
alternative framework, with a program
peace initiatives have thrown the war
mother's unmarried state at the time of
that defends the "little guy" against the
his birth have titillated the readers of even mongers on the defensive, at least
big corporations, that counterposes the
such sober-minded papers as the New
temporarily. Combined with the trade
family farmer to greedy agribusiness, that
York Times. Politically, Jackson's
deficit, the budget deficit,' a wavering
projects a sound economy rather than a
detractors have carped on the question of
stock market and a se.a of scandal lapping military buildup as the basis for national
his lack of "electability" and on whether
at the White House door, the huge
security.
the country could possibly vote for a
popularity enjoyed by the President has
Jackson's message takes head-on the
Black man. The force of the attack has
been substantially eroded over the past
Re.agan administration's obvious
been sufficient to fuel the doubts of a
two ye.ars.
preference for the rich and powerful. His
section of liberals and even a few on the
Meantime, the Democratic Party is up
attempt to forge an anti-racist populism
left, who have decided to keep their
for grabs, without a Walter Mondale on
is introduing a rudimentary form of
distance for one or another dubious
the scene holding a lock on the
working class consciounsness into the
reason.
nomination. Jackson's 1988 rivals are
arena of a presidential campaign. By
Within the ranks of Jackson's active
distinguished mainly by their anonymity
re.aching out and incorporating the
supporters, however, a different debaw has and their lack of a visible base of
grievances and interests of sector after
emerged: not over whether Jackson really political support.
·sector of. the population, Jackson's appeal
believes what he says, but over whether
has become both more inclusive and more
Finally, the clout of the Black vote has
compelling. At the same time, there is no
the attempt to "mainstream" the 1988
made itself felt at the ballot box. Starting
mistaking Jackson for the rest of the
campaign will sap the progressive
in 1984, Blacks turned out in impressive
impulse Jackson's most dedicated
numbers to back Jackson's bid; they went pack, even in their most liberal moments.
Any Jackson speech is bound to invoke
supporters embody. Specifically, there is
on in 1986 to provide the margin that
the legacy of working class political
a fear in some quarters that the emphasis
assured a Democratic majority in the
struggle in a way none of the other
on reaching out to a broader cross-section Senate and Robert Bork's defeat in 1987.
Democrats would dare to; his standard
of the electorate could exert a rightward
Added to this core of suppon are the
stump address is full of empowerment,
determined effons Jackson has made to
pull and qualitatively compromise the
expand his base among farmers, women,
not just legislative proposals.
.
campaign. Jackson's move toward the
organized labor, environmentalists, the
And for all the focus on building the
mainstream is certainly not without its
white stripe of the Rainbow, Jackson
peace movement and the lesbian/gay
problems. But these questions, too, are a
continues to be the only candidate who
sign of Jackson's success; they could only movement It gets harder every day to
constantly challenges white voters to cast
marginaliu Jackson as the "Black"
come up once it had be.come clear to
candidate; he enters this primary season ru off their racial blinders. When wt6.te
everyone in the country that in 1988,
the "progressive" candidate who speaks
farmers and blue-collar workers, including
Jesse Jackson is pJaying in the big
for the ever-widening sectors of the
many who supported Re.agan four short
le.agues.
FRON1LINE
By Frances M Beal
years ago, actively contemplate voting tor
Jackson, there is a ring of truth to the
"unelectable" frontrunner's retort: "In
some senses, rm winning every day.
Americans sit back watching 'residential
sweepstalces '88'; they see six
Republicans, six Democrats. .They watch
my response to the questions and
challenges. America is getting more used
to the ide.a every day that of those 12,
Jesse Jackson could become President"
DEALING WITII DEMOCRATS
Clearly, those within the Democratic
Party who are interested in a simple
changing of the guard rather than a change
of direction feel more than a bit
discomfited by the Jackson phenomenon.
But the new momentum he has built up
has alre.ady provided a deterrent to those
who would prefer to conciliate as much of
Reaganism as necessary and let the socalled "special interests" of minorities,
women and labor fall off the party's
agenda. Jackson represents a frontal rebuff
to the conservative game plan for the
Democratic Party: his whole campaign is
built on the premise that there is a broad
base for the politics of peace and justice,
and that what the Democrats have to do is
to go out and find it
The question of how to ere.ate a
pennanent vehicle for working class
politics will remain on the agenda of the
people's movement long after the current
campaign conlcudes. While the Jackson
candidacy may in some ways compund
the problem at the moment, it can also
make an essential contribuiton to the
solution. In 1984, progessJve activists
and the most conscious section ·of the
working class movement rallied to
Jackson because the Rainbow campaign
represented the intrusion of a force
speaking for the ''Locked out" onto the
terrain of national electoral politics. The
present trajectory of the 1988 campaign
can still operate to maximize that
potential. And that is the reason why the
most committed elements in the
movement are once again throwin g their
support and resources behind the Jackson
candidacy.
FSU Student seeks office
By Jaime P. Rodriguez
California State University, Fresno
student Paul Comparan, a graduate student in criminology is seeking a position
on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. He hopes that a grass-roots campaign (going door-to-door) will culminate
with a victory on June 7th over incumbent, Judy ~ n .
Born in Riverside, California, his
family moved to Fresno County when he
was two, and he was raised in the Reedley
area. He completed his fonnal education
at Reedley High School. After graduation
Comparan was hired by the California of the thousands of dollars spent annually
Highway Patrol where he dedicated the to house a criminal to other county departnext 18 years as a hghway patrolman un- ments. Comparan said that county servitil his retirement. He decided to enroll at ces for the elderly, the physically handiFresno State after retirement and fullfiled capped, mental health clinics, recreationhis life long desired dream of obtaining a al facilities, and Valley Medical Center
B.S. de2ree.
are severly under funded because of misAs a holder of a B.S. in Criminology management by the current board.
and a retired California Highway Patrol
Paul Comparan added that he believes
Officer, Comparan has foresight on in listening to the needs of the people in
crime. His solution to the crime prob- Fresno County and working within the
lem is not building more jails, but find- government structure to bring workable
ing and implementing a workable alter- solution that will the county. "The taxnative sentencing program. A program payer has a right to expect the best serthat will reduce crime and transfer some vice available and it is the supervisors res-
ponsibility to see that he gets it". This
means according to Comparan, "the responsibility of the supervisor is, to provide the best management team possible,
as well as accountability". The conclusion will make for better informed decisions for the county and the District 5
constituents.
Paul Comparan feels that he can provide the leadership that will insure Fresno
County of improved goverment services.
"The future of Fresno County," adds Comparan, "rests on our decisions today. The
Board of Supervisors needs to hear that
working people are concerned about their
future and their children's future.
~--~~------~-----------------------------------------------~------------------~
.
C
CIDCANO COMMENCEMENT
APPLICATION DEADLINE-MAY 12, 1988
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: 294-2848
L _____________________________________________________________________________ J
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 7
-La.Voz
M.E. Ch.A:Review
by Karen M. Cogley
The contemporary use of the term HisAztlan, in the Nahuaatl tongue of panic is in reference to all people of Latin
ancient Mexico means, the lands to the or Spanish descent. Like the term Latino
north. Aztlan is the area north of Mexico Hispanic disregards our unique culturai
which was once inhabited by the Aztec heritage.
Legislation imposd on us by elected
people, of which Chicanos are descendofficials
in our government acts as a
ants. This is the area now refered to as
manifestation
of common disregard for
the Southwest of the United States-where
the majority of Chicanos currently reside. our culture. Proposition 63, English as
Chicanas/Chicanos are people who the Official Language, proposed that
have made a conscious decision to work California become a state where only
for the advancement of the Chicano com-· ~nglish would be accepted as the legitmunity. M.E.Ch.A. students express this lillate language. Funding cuts for bilinconscious decision by their commitment gual education is another example of
to the progress of Chicanos in higher attacks against our right to an education.
education. The High School Outreach People whose primary language is not
Committee tutors students, facilitates English, understand best the significance
group discussions with young people, and of learning the language to succed in the
encourages them to complete their high U.~. However, without bilingual eduschool education. Our Chicano Youth c~tJ.on. we must learn English and sacConference committee organizes a one rifice_ education. Legislation barring the
day conference providing informaton ~parush_ language stands in contempt of
about college, culture, and awarenes about mtematJ.onal law. Spanish--an intrinsic
quality in Mexican culture is protected by
commmtity issues.
~ international treaty of Guadalupe
M.E.Ch.A. students are active in comHidalgo. The end of funding for the Colbatting issues of tantamount concern lege Assistant Migrant Program by the
which affect our community. For exam~ederal _government is the final example
ple, we bring our concerns to the attenillus~tJ.ng the government's disregard for
tion of elected officials, in an effort to
our nght to an education and the intelensure that our people work and live in a lectual development of our culture.
healthy environment We protest against
Because we still do not share as equal
Undocumented immigrants suffer--U.S. amnesty a false promise.
the infilitration of our neighborhoods by
participants
in decisions which affect us-drug dealers, bars, and liquor stores (as
seen in Madera along "C" street), because our people have organized in a collective
Two of the biggest factors in com- we recognize ~t these influences breed effort to create change. As Chicano studbating racism on our campuses is to ad- crime, prostitution, drug addiction, and ents we organized; and set forth to expand
mit that racism exists and to acknowl- violence. We also demand just treatment and take rank in the movement progElsewhere, the incidents were equally as edge cultural diversity. This is not an by law enforcenment agencies, and work ressing towards a just society. A society
disheartening: White students hurled racial easy task. People of all races have dif- in coalition with community organiza- in which there is social, economic, politaunts at students going to hear Rev. ficulty coming to terms with those con- tions in achieving these demands. M.E.- tical justice and equality for all people.
Chicano students were active during
Jesse Jackson speak at Northern Illinois cepts. But once those concepts are accept- Ch.A.'s actions reflect our commitment
the civil rights movement of the 1960's,
University. A group of white University ed it becomes easier to find solutions to to the Chicano/Mexicano community.
of Texas students organiud to rid the the problem.
The scope of Mexican history exemp- but for the first time in history they came
Fortunately, some colleges and univer- lifies a proud people. Our Aztec ancestry together, in mass, to carve out their policampus of "outspoken" minorities. The
campus radio station at the University of sities are learning that a school's response goes back to approximately 1000 A.D. tical agenda within this movemenl In
Michigan was forced to temporarily cease to a racial incident is as important-if not This advanced society included compul- the summer of 1969, three thousand
operation after a disc jockey and his !DQDt._important as the incident itself. sory educatin for children, a comple,i young Chicanos met in the Crusade for
"You have to let students know," says legal system, advanced medical tech- Justice in Denver, Colorado, at the
callers insulted Blacks on the air.
Adele
Terrell, program director of the Na- niques, and a deep appreciation for art Chicano Liberation Youth Conference.
Few experts are surprised by these
incidents. Racism, they say, is inherent tional Institute Against Prejudice and Vio- poetry and music. Mexican society wru They went on to detail their goalsin American society and, therefore, exists lence in Baltimore, "that such behavior is forged by courageouus men and womer through the reborn symbol of Aztin the university community. In orther unacceptable."
who fought against a strong French arm} lan... This plan is refered to as El Plan
words, colleges and universities, despite
and won their independence in 1865 Espiritual de Aztlan. The theme of this
their scholarly aims, closely reflect the - But we must face the fact that racism They are also a people who threw-off ~ plan is nationalism-as the key or common denominator for mass mobilization
world outside their gates. And judging does exist and is on the rise. We cannot successful revolution.
and
organizatiion. The philosophy-- of
from incidents such as those at Howard take the posture of one government offiA heritage rich in the legacy of strugBeach, Forsyth County and South Africa, cial who claimed there were "no signs" of gle, we refer to owselves as Chica- Chicano youth of the early 1970's is
outlined in this Plan: nationalism and
that world appears to have become more increasing racial activity.
na/Chicano. These terms have historical
organizational goals regarding economy,
overtly racist.
meaning and they serve to reafirm our
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - p r o u d l n d i a n / M e x i c a n heritage. We refrain education, institutions, self-defense of the
community, cultural values, political
from using terms such as Hispanic or Latliberaton, and the action to be taken on
ino, because these were imposed on us.
ANNOUNCEMENT
all of the goals.
Latino is a term used to denote all
Spanish speaking people of the world; it
Years have passed since this historic
THE CCNMA-Fresno/Fresno Bee Scholarship
does not distinguish our unique culture event, and M.E.Ch.A. has emerged as the
fora
from other Spanish speaking cultures. Chicano student organization to represent
, CSUF, Journalism Student
Hispanic is a term derived from the word the true objective interests of ChicaHispania, the ancient Roman name for no/Mexicano/Latino students. M.E.Ch.A.
The Fresno Capter of the California Chicano News Media the country of Spain. And later, HisAssociation and The Fresno Bee announce the opening of panos were the 16th century Spanish
the application process for $4,000 in scholarships to explorers who settled in New Mexico.
Tension
be awarded to Hispanic students attending
or planning
to attend California State University, Fresno in 198889 and pursuing a career in
journalism or mass
communications.
Applications
June 1.
must
be
postmarked
no
later
than
Qualified students will be awarded scholarships $250
to $1,000 at the CCNMA-Fresno's 4th Annual
Memorial
Scholarship
Banquet
in
Ernesto
Moreno
August.
For applications, call 266-1391 or write:
The CCNMA-Fresno
P.O. Box 12384
Fresno, California 93777
See M.E.Ch.A. p. 8
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
featuring: Cruz Reyunoso
former Supreme Court Justice of California
Wednesday, May 4
12:00 noon
Satellite College Union
sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the C.U. Programming Committee
Page 8
,I
Monday, May 2, 1988
La ·Voz
experienced a changing political climateto our disadvantage, and many times we
are without support from certain groups
or agencies.
M.E.Ch.A.
developed the philosophy set forth in
Colorado into a progresive, inclusive political agenda of economic and social
justice for all people.
M.E.Ch.A. has a clear, decisive political agenda from which all actions are a
reflection. M.E.Ch.A. works in coalitions with many groups and organization
on a variety of issues; however, M.ECh.A. has never "sold-out", compromised, or vacillated on issues, because it
has never existed for any other reason that
improving the conditions of life for the
campus, community, country, and the
international community. We believe an
organization not possessing clear guidelines, be it progressive or conservative,
which are built on a solid foundation
leaves itself open to others with opposing ideas (not different ideas) but ideas
that are in opposition of the essence of
that organization.
As a progressive Chicana/Chicano student organization of nearly 20 years, we
contend with many obstacles: Our statewide structure continues to be plagued by
devisive elements, there exists at times
personality conflicts among members, we
lack strong financial resources, we have
It is necessary that an organization be
critical of itself in order to grow. M.E.Ch.A. encourages critical discussion and
debate. However, we understand that opposing influences sway and misguide. An
organization allowing such influences
either diminishes after the few persuasive
leaders have left, or it becomes something far removed from its original intent
M.E.Ch.A. will not endorse a cause at
the expense of another. All issues which
effect the Chicano/minority community
are of equal value. We will not say, for
example, that culltural events which
promote a positive understanding of our
people-Semana de la Raza, is so important that we will forsake a union on
strike to retain adequate wages and health
benefits. For example, accepting contribuitons for our cultural events from a
company that refuses to empower its
workers-H.P. Metzler. Token gestures
versus empowerment is the difference
between a company that highers a -'arge
percentage of minorities, but offers only
a few positions of administrative influence, or executive power.
Tony, good luck in Kansas City from Lisa, Kurt and Jolly Carcass.
CSU, FRESNO MECHA
presents _
Semana de La Raza's
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
MONDAY, MAY 2
12:00 noon Mal~uias Montoya
"Chicano Art and Politics" (S.C.U.)
7:00 p.m.
Chicano Poetry featuring
*Juan Feli~ Herrera
*Margarita Luna Robles
*Omar Salinas
*El Grito de La Genta (Musical Group)
TUESDAY, MAY 3 - Children's Day (S.C.U.)
9:00 a.m. Children's Performances
11 :00 a.m. Roberto Cardenas, Magician
Pinatas - courtesy of Colmena Hispana and
Mex-Tech Student Organization
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
12:00 noon Cruz Reynoso
Former Supreme Court Justice of
Califonna
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
Sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the College Union
Programming Committee
THURSDAY, MAY 5
11 :00 a.m. Tardeada (area between Satellite College
Union and Joyal Adminstration Building)
*Food Booths
*Mariachi Zapopan
*Clovis Marimoa Band
*Ninos de Aztlan (Children's Folkoric Dance Group)
7:00 p.m.
Community Night
Mariachi Zapopan (S.C.U.)
Panel: "Education and Community Succ~" ·
*Jua,n Arambula,·School Board Member, Fresno Unified
School District
*Maria Escobar, President of the Association of Mexican
American Educators
*Jose Vil arreal, First Chicano Public Defender for
Fresno County1/
* Los Dan7.alltes de Aztlan (Mexican Folkoric
Dance Company, California State University, Fresno)
5:30 p.m. Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Banquet
Reception- CSUF, Residence Dining Hall
FRIDAY, MAY 6
·
· .
7:00 p.m. "Dimensions of Change in Latin America" (
Upstairs Cafeteria, Room 200)
*Dr. Fernando Alegria, Stanford University
*Dr. Ignacio Gallardo, Universidad Iberoamericana,
Tijuana, B~a California, Mexico
*Dr. James Crockc,;oft, San Diego State Univerisity
*Dr. Manuel FigUA:roa, CSU, Fresno, Chicano-Latino
Studies Program
*Dr. Cosme Zaragoza, CSU, Fresno, Spanish Department
6:00 p.m. Dinner
For information call: 294-4775
$25.00 per person
SATURDAY, MAY 7
8:00 to Midni2ht
:DANCE (S.C.U.)
.La. Voz cie Azt[a.ti
California State University, Fresno
•..
::;::
>:/""
·f1•
Monday, May 2, 1988
Page 2
Monday, May 2, 1988
.I
La. Voz
~a
oz ~e zt an
Commitment Continues
La Voz de Aztlan was established in 1969. Its mission over the last 19 years has been to educate Raza. T
educate people about the true conditions in which we live. To remind students that man
Chicanos/Mexicanos opened the door so that we could have more opportunities. It has been La Voz de Aztlan's
oal this year to continue in this tradition.
La Voz serves not only as a voice for the Chicano/Mexicano community, but it also acts as a teaching tool. In
n effort to include as many diverse views and opinions as possible the paper continues to reflect the social,
olitical, and cultural needs of all Chicanos.
The issues raised by La Voz de Aztlan are of importance, especially today in this era of rising racism.
nfortunately, many Latinos have forgotten the price that our people have paid to remove the barriers o
·scrimination. As a people, we are still treated as "illegal aliens" in this country built by immigrant labor, and
e must never turn our faces away from racism arid oppresion against all people.
The only way in which we can stop discrimina~ion is to make others aware that racist and oppressive acts
·n not be tolerated. And, the only way in which we have the power to do this is to work together. La Voz
es all of you to utilize the media as one means to eradicate the menace to our constitutional rights.
Let us then continue forward and work together to improve the quality of life for all people.
oun
•
ex1can
MAPA-AD HOC COALITION TO STOP THE
BORDER PATROL RAIDS
AGAINST MEXICAN-LOOKING PEOPLE. NEARLY A HUNDRED
WERE DEPORTED AND A FEW WERE RELEASED AFTER
BEING HELD IN JAIL FOR HOURS ONCE THEY PROVED
COMMISSIONER HAROLD EZELL WAS IN FRESNO ON APRIL ELEGIBILITY FOR AMNESTY.
21, TO SHOW HIS EFFORTS IN THE PROCESS TO LEGALIZE
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. MR. EZELL WILL SHOW HOW ONCE AGAIN, MR. HAROLD EZELL, OUR COMMUNITY
HUMANITARIAN AND GENEROUS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BELIEVES
THAT
THESE
RAIDS
ARE
TOTALLY
THE AMNESTY PROGRAM HAS BEEN.
INCONSISTENT WITH THE EFFORTS TO BRING THE
UNDOCUMENTED COMMUN_ITY OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
HOWEVER, "BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS OF FRESNO'S THESE BORDER PATROL RAIDS ONLY INCREASE THE FEAR
CHINATOWN HAVE ANOTHER STORY TO TELL.
AND UNCERTAINTY AMONG POTENTIAL APPLICANTS.
EVEN MORE, THE BORDER PATROL IS C_REATING THE
THIS PAST SATURDAY, VANS AND AGENTS FROM THE CONDITIONS FOR MORE TRAGIC CASES LIKE THE KILLING
BORDER PATROL UNLEASHED A MASSIVE ROUND-UP OF THE YOUNG WORKER ISMAEL RAMIREZ.
La Voz
cle. Azt[an.
Pablo Gutierrez S.
Editor
Contributing Writers:
Production:
Karen
M. Cogley
Jaime Fernandez
Jaime P. Rodriguez
Lisa Y. Flores
M. PJvera
Assistant Editor
Pedro Ramirez-Advisor
Special Contributions:
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mystic Warrior
Bill Lerch-Distribution
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 3
Pesticide killing
farmworkers
FRONTLINE
By Morris Wright
Cesar Chavez and the VFW continue the fight against pesticide
poisonings and the rights of farmworkers.
Racial Tension
Black Issues in Higher Education,
By De.nnis Schatzm.(ln.
Dartmouth, Univ. of Massachusetts,
UMass-Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Brown, Wellesley, Tufts, Yale... all
institutions of higher learning in New
England. But they have somehting more
dubious in common. All have experienced
ugly racial incidents among students on
campus within the last 18 months.
Nationwide, racism is again rearing its
ugly head on campuses with greater frequency in recent months. It seems ironic,
however, that many institutions, faced
with this dilemma, are based in the New
England states, the birthplace of "liberty,"
the Constitution and the Abolitoinist
movement. Consider these blights:
*a Black female was taunted as "dark
meat" by Dartmouth football players.
· *White UMas-Amherst students, following the World Series finale, attacked
a small group of Black Mets fans on
campus, injuring several.
*A Jewish Tufts University student
was allegedly beaten by fellow whites
after writing a newspaper article denounracism.
· *At Smith College, racial slurs were
spray-painted on the steps of the
Minority Cultural Center.
0' cing
See Tension p. 7
Minority Journalism Workshop
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
July 18 - Aug. 5
Fann Workers' unions have been voices
crying in the wilderness against exposure
of field workers to pesticides that
debilitate and kill. The United Farm
Workers (UFW) publish monthly horror
stories of deformed children, sickness and
death from pesticides.
The rest of us are told to wash our
fruits and vegetables, but 2.3 million
farm workers have to touch them,
unwashed, all day long, and breathe the
dust and fumes.
UFW president Cesar Chavez, writing
in the union's publication Food and
Justice, has estimated that 300,000 pesticide poisonings occur each year, and has
presented many case histories, including
that of a boy born with no anns or legs
to parents who work in the fields. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has not commented on Chavez' statements except to admit that many cases of
pesticide poisoning go unreported.
There are federal rules and some state
laws concerning protective clothing and
time intervals after spraying before
workers can be required to enter the he1ds,
but they are poorly enforced and often
ignored. ·
EPA, responding to lobbying by farm
unions, the Migrant Legal Assistance
Project (MLAP) and California Rural
Legal Assistance, is preparing to revise
its rules. But a draft proposal of revisions
is "weak in almost every area," according
to Shelly Davis, a MLAP lawyer.
However, she added, "Anything would be
some improvemenL"
This glacial process has been dragging
on since 1985, when EPA assembled
representatives of unions, employers and
other concerned groups in an effort to get
agreement in advance on its proposals. In
1986 the labor representatives walked out
in protest against EPA's bias in favor of
employers.
Now, representatives of UFW, the
Farm Labor· Organizing Committee
(FLOC) and MLAP are meeting and
traveling together to agricultural areas,
preparing a critique of EPA's proposals.
EPA DRAFf PROPOSAL
The current EPA proposal does contain
some provisions that are be~ter than what
now exists. Among other things, the 237page EPA proposal would:
*Extend coverage to 300,000 workers
in nurseries and green houses, and to
forestry workers and those employed by
labor contractors;
*Require monitoring of blood of those
exposed
to pesticides for the longest
from
HOW TO APPL V:
Application forms are available
periods to check for an enzyme attacked
your journalism adviser, the CCNMA and The Bee (see by the most toxic substances. The
below). Completed applications must be returned by enzyme is necessary for pr~r
functioning of the nervous system. nus
May 16 to CCNMA at the address below.
would not be required for 75% of field
AT THE FRESNO BEE
Minorit~
to
Write
FURTHER
INFORMATION:
Journalism Workshop, CCNMA Fresno, P.O. Box 12384,
Fresno, CA 93777.
Questions can be directed to Dr. Harry Kennedy, the
workshop director, at 453-1644 evenings; to Tom
Uribes of CCNMA, workshop co-director, at 266-1391
or 275-0717; or to Donald Slinkard, Fresno Bee
managing editor, at 441-6442.
workers, who are exposed for "only"
three weeks a year. Many of the latter
groups, as well as the fonner, are afflicted
by nervous disorders.
*Require waiting periods of 24 to 48
hours after application of pesticides before
workers could be sent into the fields.
They could be required to enter sooner if
protective clothing were provided.
Such laws are on the books in some
states, but Frontline has been told by
workers in the Salinas, California area
that they had been threatened with firing
if tfiey refused to enter a field that was
posted. At best, this protection
is
uncertain; nobody knows what period of
time, if any, guarantees safety.
-"anything
would be an
.
"
improvement
EPA has further weakene.d t}ljs degree
of protection by proposing in its new
document that wAning placards at field
entrances no longer display the familiar
skull and crossbones symbol but instead
show an upraised hand and stem face.
Dr. Marian Moses, representing UFW,
told Frontline that she is particularly
upset about this Jast change. This
dilution of the message, Moses said, is a
typical case of EPA deference to
employers. "The industry wants to do
what it bloody well wants to do," she
added.
This was substantiated when Mark
Maslyn, a representative of the American
Farm Bureau Federation, an employer
group, said his organization was pleased
that "We've been somewhat successful" in
persuading EPA to follow its recommendations.
REVIEW PROCESS
The new proposals will be reviewed by
other federal agencies before they are
presented to Congress. This will take four
to six months; the new regulations are
not expected to be ready until 1989.
This means that during the se.cond half
of 1988 EPA's proposed new regualtions
will be the subject of hearings and votes
in Congress. Testimony and pressure is
bieng organized by farm unions and legal
support organizations, but they are
calling for support from others as well.
Demands are not only to strengthen the
proposals and fight off employer attempts
to weaken them further, but also to put
teeth into regulations-sanctions with
criminal liability for employers who
violate them.
"Education and Community Succes.s"
a panel discussion featuring:
Juan Arambula, Maria Escobar, and.Jose Villarreal
Thursday, May 5
7:00 p.m., S.C.U.
sponsored by semana de la Raza
Page 4
Monday, May 2, 1988
THE POWER TO TEACH
I feel sometimes
powerless and small
overwhelmed and
inadequaae
engulfed
in thoughts and feelings
that~what
lam . g
is insignificant,
that my life's pursuit,
that my te.aching,
is futile.
And l say
"Who am I
to change the world?
Whoaml
to think
that I can make a
diftiereoce.?"
And then
I reflect
on the young peopole
under my charge,
and I think about
. my role and
about what power,
if any,
I have.
And I find
that I am not
devoid of resources
or strength,
that I am,
inndeed,
endowed with talent
and ability
and strength.
I guess you
I do,
could say
after all,
that is power!
decide what
will be taught
No one else.
And i9e ..-y.ly
I have the power.
myperogathe
I have the vigor to motivate,
when it will be talght
the fullness to laugh,
the courage to control.
and how, and where.
I have the power to uplift
And why
and to create
it will be taught
and, when rm red-hot,
the intensity to inspire!
To a great extent
I determine
I can form my students
the cwriculmn.
into lines or circless
And the richness
triangles or squares.
and intensity
with which it is taught
My influence is such
is in my hands.
I can tum their ver:y
feelings
I have that power.
into Fs or A's.
And I have the ability
With just one look
tolllink
I can let a student know
and to . . .
that everything is well
and then to implement;
with the world
to select from my
repertoire
And I can use
of skills
my hands.
the one best suited
Turned up
to my pwpose,
to lift them up.
Most adullts
Or turned down
would be fortunate
to keep them down.
to perllaps last
C\
out one day ·
What power do naave
overse.eing a roomful
in the system?
of kids.
In the eyes
My cxchestration
of my students
makes enlightened music
lam
of the chaotic din.
the system.
And I have the power
to lead them places
they did not know existe.d,
to build them hick up
when society
tears them down,
to catapult them higher
than I myself will ever
reach,
and to push them gently,
but assuredly,
in_!> the unknown,
painting for them
in broad brush strokes
a future .
I can nver
hope to see.
If I succee.d
I p~ the knowledge
about what is important
to the next generation.
And,
because their world
will be the better
for my labor
mine is an important
service
to a just cause.
I even affect
the weather!
What I do
every day
detennines whether
their world
will be indifferent cold,
or sweathouse hot,
or wann, inviting, alive,
and vibrant
with learning.
I have an awesome power.
It is a happiness
that comes from knowing
that a part of us
forever,
transplanted,
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
Mine is a
giving power.
And it is
within my discretion
to design a rigid,
competitive structure
or a cooperative,
helping
network
in my c ~ .
And when the last day comes,
and it is time for us to part
we gather together
say our goodbyes
and separate.
All that I kn()w
about the world
and about how
one learns
about the world
I must give.
And in the giving
of my gift,
I recieve
my greatest power:
the power to teach
my students
to learn how to learn.
Enpowering them
is of the essence,
for if their teacher
feels sometimes
powerless and small,
how insignificant
m~they
sometimes feel?
lives..
No, thrives!
inside of each
individual who.
has gazed at us
across tired
brown desks
and called us
"Teacher."
Even on a down day
when rm feeling puney
amd insignificant
even I try hard
to remember
that all it takes
is one person
just one person!
to make a difference
in their lives.
And,
there is no reason
in the world
that that person
can not
and should not
beme!
I can make a difference!
That is my power.
That is the power to teach
-Dr. Frank Trujillo
Day
of the
Teacher
MAY 11, 1988
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
-
Trujillo
Mexico has honored its teachers and the teaching profession
since the early 1900's. There, it is the custom to bring
flowers and read poetry for teachers each May 15. In
Guadalajara, there is even a statue dedicated to the teacher (el
maestro), created from the metal of keys donated by school
children. The two-headed statue represents the dual roles of
teachers - the educator and the social reformer.
-
Although the teaching profession in the U.S. has always
been respectable, it is neither revered nor honored as it is in
the Mexican tradition. In 1983 the Association of Mexican
American Educators (AMAE), a California-based volunteer
association dedicated to the betterment of educatin for ChicanoLatino students, initiated a statewide campaign to establish
EL DIA DEL MAESTRO (literally, DAY OF THE
TEACHER) in California.
The group found virtually no oppos1tton - nor great
enthusiasm - in the beginning. One problem: the desired day
(May 15) was in the state code as the deadline for dismissal of
teachers. The legislation first carried and introduced by State
Senator Joseph Montoya set the date for observance as the
second Tuesday in April. After two years of the April
celebrations, Senator Montoya introduced an amendment to
come closer to the May goal. Now set as the Second
Wednesday in May, it falls in 1988 on May 11, and
Califomia is ready for the sixth, and largest, annual
observance.
Dr. Joe Santana, President, State AMAE
Page 5 Monday, May 2, 1988
inner visions
AVENIDA de REVOLUCION
as i stand here
here on the threshold of my future
i contemplate the rason for being
am i here to only please and help myself
if so
then the hell with everybody else
I think not
there must be something more
are you a reflection of myself
if you are
then I must take care of thee
for i can not truly know
myself
if I do not know thee
Mystic Warrior
time passes ever so continually
people are dying ever so continually
but do I care
no
because
I make money ever so continually
fuck this capitalistic ideology
ever so continually
Mystic Warrior
Perched peacefully atop the bridge of life
Sit the beautiful children
Nwnb to the noxious stench of urine
And the rest of the shit
That comprises their existence
Singing La Bamba
Hoping
Wishing
Praying
That the young Mexican haters
Could find it somewhere
Anywhere
To be generous
Just this once
But of course-The young Mexican haters
Who come by the thousands
~~gg
Poetry
Corner
wrucn tne oeauutut ctuJaren smg
but they fail to hear
In their tequila clouded ears
Large families set up homes
In front of Woolworths and Dennys
And anywhere else their is room
Inviting the young Mexican haters
Into their homes to visit and see the family heirlooms
Treasures of combs, batteries, cigarettes,
And exploiting the exploited
lottery tickets lighters chicklets
Never see the children
.
.
And pricel~• Indian h'ace1ets '
Nor do they hear the sttums of tiny gwtars Which the people offer up as gifts
Or the_wails ?fa proud people
Only to be shunned
Who smg theu song
.
~
By the young Mexican haters
The song that the young Mexican Haters Who go ao the neighbors
~ to in their exclusive clubs
.Looking yet, for a better deal
Without ever a thought
'The young Mexican haters
From where the song came
Who've come by the thousands
No!
To eat
The young Mexican Haters
to drink
Rush their obnoxious selves
to party
To their exclusive clubs
to carouse
Which plays the song
But not with the prisoners
Whom they guard with their greed
Instral they rejoice
For they are free to roam
To conquer the streets
And peer in the windows
Of the people's homes
Spying on the loving mothers
Feeding milk to the babies
While ignoring the children
Who possess but one thing
An empty tin cup
Which ovenlow with my tears.
Larry-Michael-Hobson
ODE TO CIIlLES
Mis padres like the
stingmg flavor of your seeds.
Waxen green, yellow,
red thumbs and elongated ,
bells on church towers.
You always grow ripe
for the harvest which
spells your death.
Kneeling, mis padres would
pinch your tip,
snap you from your shrunken branch and
strip bare the bush
with such speed,
their buckets would
form a mountain
above the can's rusted rim.
Even though you are stored in a bin,
you refuse to remain lifeless.
Perhaps your flesh settles into a fwy
because of the
rage of my
slaughtered ancestors who
seek revenge by hiding under your skin.
IDEALISTIC YOUTH
JERRY'S (FALWELL) GIRLS
Born into poverty, sold into slavery.
Now you're middle class and moving up fast.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wind and die.
I remember sitting around drinking the "Bird."
Talking about politics and changing the world.
We used to dream about living in Utopia.
But now you're too good to be my friend.
Daughters are born day by day
No trumpets blaring no cigars
Mothers mistake
No little Gippers
No one to follow in fathers footsteps
No one IO follow
To carry on
Carry on the family name
Remember when we were outcasts for taking a stand?
We carried signs and spoke our minds.
We weren't afraid to fight for our rights.
But now you've gone out and joined the man.
4 years of college, no years of knowledge.
Now you're working for IBM.
Big expense account, a company car.
But do you know who you are?
Daddy's little girl
Pigtails and lace
Soon to folow in mommy's place
Born to be a martyr
For better or worse
Born IO be a martyr
To serve and obey
You were born into poverty and sold into slavery.
And now you're middle c~ and moving up fast
You've turned your back on what you believed.
Now you're voting Republican and going to chun;h.
You've sold yourself to IBM
Joined a country club and have got new friends.
Always on top of every new trend.
And now you're too good to be my friend.
Sentenced IO the kitchen
To cook and clean
The husband is the head
A bible made king
Women be feminine
Submit IO your man
Or you11 throw off
God's ready made plan
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mis padres eat you every day with
tortillas and came because
for them you are sweet hot mole.
-Pedro Lopez Ramirez
Remember drinking Olde English by the rail road ttacks?
Singing songs and talking politics?
We used to dream about the revolution,
Now you've joined the problem and abandoned the solution.
You've,made some money and fed your greed.
But you're a prostitute no better than me.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wine and die.
Larry -Michael-Hobson
Page 6
Monday, May 2, 1988
La. Voz
Jackson back in stride
population who, by virtue of their class
JESSE MAKES A MARK
Jackson's candidacy has already
and social status, have borne the brunt of
Reagan's counter-offensive.
dramatiacally impacted the 1988 election
Four years ago, political professionals,
campaign. Jackson shines through as the
the Black establishment and most
most articulate spokesperson for a
ANTI-RACIST POPULISM
Americans treated the Jesse Jackson
coherent alternative to Re.aganism. The
The recasting of Jackson's appeal is an
campaign as a joke, at best characterizing success of his populist message has had a essential part of a campaign strategy of
it as a symbolick Black effort without
salutary effect on the Democratic Party,
playing to win: broadening his support
much real potential. Today, very few are
helping to at least detour it from its
among white voters; gaining the respectlaughing. As Jesse Jackson traverses the
rightward trajectory. And duplicating the
or at least neutralizing the hostility-of the
country from Iowa back raods to the
dynamic of the 1984 campaign,
more conservative inner circles of the
nation's urban centers, America has been
progressives and working cJass forces
Democratic Party; making inroads into
forced to talce the Reverend's bid for the
once again find themselves in a favorable the Black political establishment, and
Democratic presidential nomination
building a professional campaign
position to use the accelerated political
seriously.
organi7.ation.
involvement brought about by a
Ironically, one measure of Jackson's
presidential year to advance not just the
The Jackson candidacy presents by far
success consists of the scope and nature
prospects of a particular candidate, but a
the most direct challenge to the Jast seven
of the criticisms that have been leveled at broader vision of the politics of peace and ye.ars of aggressive military
him. This is only to be expected from the justice as well.
interventionism and a radicalized assault
ruling power elite, and they have not been
on the U.S. working class. Unlike the
That potential in 1988 is buttressed by
lax in their attempts to discredit Jackson's a combination of factors. First and
rest of the Democratic contenders,
bid. Psychological profiles speculating on foremost, Reaganism is at an impasse.
Jackson operates from a coherent
The Contragate scandal and the Sm ict
everything from his sex life to his
alternative framework, with a program
peace initiatives have thrown the war
mother's unmarried state at the time of
that defends the "little guy" against the
his birth have titillated the readers of even mongers on the defensive, at least
big corporations, that counterposes the
such sober-minded papers as the New
temporarily. Combined with the trade
family farmer to greedy agribusiness, that
York Times. Politically, Jackson's
deficit, the budget deficit,' a wavering
projects a sound economy rather than a
detractors have carped on the question of
stock market and a se.a of scandal lapping military buildup as the basis for national
his lack of "electability" and on whether
at the White House door, the huge
security.
the country could possibly vote for a
popularity enjoyed by the President has
Jackson's message takes head-on the
Black man. The force of the attack has
been substantially eroded over the past
Re.agan administration's obvious
been sufficient to fuel the doubts of a
two ye.ars.
preference for the rich and powerful. His
section of liberals and even a few on the
Meantime, the Democratic Party is up
attempt to forge an anti-racist populism
left, who have decided to keep their
for grabs, without a Walter Mondale on
is introduing a rudimentary form of
distance for one or another dubious
the scene holding a lock on the
working class consciounsness into the
reason.
nomination. Jackson's 1988 rivals are
arena of a presidential campaign. By
Within the ranks of Jackson's active
distinguished mainly by their anonymity
re.aching out and incorporating the
supporters, however, a different debaw has and their lack of a visible base of
grievances and interests of sector after
emerged: not over whether Jackson really political support.
·sector of. the population, Jackson's appeal
believes what he says, but over whether
has become both more inclusive and more
Finally, the clout of the Black vote has
compelling. At the same time, there is no
the attempt to "mainstream" the 1988
made itself felt at the ballot box. Starting
mistaking Jackson for the rest of the
campaign will sap the progressive
in 1984, Blacks turned out in impressive
impulse Jackson's most dedicated
numbers to back Jackson's bid; they went pack, even in their most liberal moments.
Any Jackson speech is bound to invoke
supporters embody. Specifically, there is
on in 1986 to provide the margin that
the legacy of working class political
a fear in some quarters that the emphasis
assured a Democratic majority in the
struggle in a way none of the other
on reaching out to a broader cross-section Senate and Robert Bork's defeat in 1987.
Democrats would dare to; his standard
of the electorate could exert a rightward
Added to this core of suppon are the
stump address is full of empowerment,
determined effons Jackson has made to
pull and qualitatively compromise the
expand his base among farmers, women,
not just legislative proposals.
.
campaign. Jackson's move toward the
organized labor, environmentalists, the
And for all the focus on building the
mainstream is certainly not without its
white stripe of the Rainbow, Jackson
peace movement and the lesbian/gay
problems. But these questions, too, are a
continues to be the only candidate who
sign of Jackson's success; they could only movement It gets harder every day to
constantly challenges white voters to cast
marginaliu Jackson as the "Black"
come up once it had be.come clear to
candidate; he enters this primary season ru off their racial blinders. When wt6.te
everyone in the country that in 1988,
the "progressive" candidate who speaks
farmers and blue-collar workers, including
Jesse Jackson is pJaying in the big
for the ever-widening sectors of the
many who supported Re.agan four short
le.agues.
FRON1LINE
By Frances M Beal
years ago, actively contemplate voting tor
Jackson, there is a ring of truth to the
"unelectable" frontrunner's retort: "In
some senses, rm winning every day.
Americans sit back watching 'residential
sweepstalces '88'; they see six
Republicans, six Democrats. .They watch
my response to the questions and
challenges. America is getting more used
to the ide.a every day that of those 12,
Jesse Jackson could become President"
DEALING WITII DEMOCRATS
Clearly, those within the Democratic
Party who are interested in a simple
changing of the guard rather than a change
of direction feel more than a bit
discomfited by the Jackson phenomenon.
But the new momentum he has built up
has alre.ady provided a deterrent to those
who would prefer to conciliate as much of
Reaganism as necessary and let the socalled "special interests" of minorities,
women and labor fall off the party's
agenda. Jackson represents a frontal rebuff
to the conservative game plan for the
Democratic Party: his whole campaign is
built on the premise that there is a broad
base for the politics of peace and justice,
and that what the Democrats have to do is
to go out and find it
The question of how to ere.ate a
pennanent vehicle for working class
politics will remain on the agenda of the
people's movement long after the current
campaign conlcudes. While the Jackson
candidacy may in some ways compund
the problem at the moment, it can also
make an essential contribuiton to the
solution. In 1984, progessJve activists
and the most conscious section ·of the
working class movement rallied to
Jackson because the Rainbow campaign
represented the intrusion of a force
speaking for the ''Locked out" onto the
terrain of national electoral politics. The
present trajectory of the 1988 campaign
can still operate to maximize that
potential. And that is the reason why the
most committed elements in the
movement are once again throwin g their
support and resources behind the Jackson
candidacy.
FSU Student seeks office
By Jaime P. Rodriguez
California State University, Fresno
student Paul Comparan, a graduate student in criminology is seeking a position
on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. He hopes that a grass-roots campaign (going door-to-door) will culminate
with a victory on June 7th over incumbent, Judy ~ n .
Born in Riverside, California, his
family moved to Fresno County when he
was two, and he was raised in the Reedley
area. He completed his fonnal education
at Reedley High School. After graduation
Comparan was hired by the California of the thousands of dollars spent annually
Highway Patrol where he dedicated the to house a criminal to other county departnext 18 years as a hghway patrolman un- ments. Comparan said that county servitil his retirement. He decided to enroll at ces for the elderly, the physically handiFresno State after retirement and fullfiled capped, mental health clinics, recreationhis life long desired dream of obtaining a al facilities, and Valley Medical Center
B.S. de2ree.
are severly under funded because of misAs a holder of a B.S. in Criminology management by the current board.
and a retired California Highway Patrol
Paul Comparan added that he believes
Officer, Comparan has foresight on in listening to the needs of the people in
crime. His solution to the crime prob- Fresno County and working within the
lem is not building more jails, but find- government structure to bring workable
ing and implementing a workable alter- solution that will the county. "The taxnative sentencing program. A program payer has a right to expect the best serthat will reduce crime and transfer some vice available and it is the supervisors res-
ponsibility to see that he gets it". This
means according to Comparan, "the responsibility of the supervisor is, to provide the best management team possible,
as well as accountability". The conclusion will make for better informed decisions for the county and the District 5
constituents.
Paul Comparan feels that he can provide the leadership that will insure Fresno
County of improved goverment services.
"The future of Fresno County," adds Comparan, "rests on our decisions today. The
Board of Supervisors needs to hear that
working people are concerned about their
future and their children's future.
~--~~------~-----------------------------------------------~------------------~
.
C
CIDCANO COMMENCEMENT
APPLICATION DEADLINE-MAY 12, 1988
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: 294-2848
L _____________________________________________________________________________ J
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 7
-La.Voz
M.E. Ch.A:Review
by Karen M. Cogley
The contemporary use of the term HisAztlan, in the Nahuaatl tongue of panic is in reference to all people of Latin
ancient Mexico means, the lands to the or Spanish descent. Like the term Latino
north. Aztlan is the area north of Mexico Hispanic disregards our unique culturai
which was once inhabited by the Aztec heritage.
Legislation imposd on us by elected
people, of which Chicanos are descendofficials
in our government acts as a
ants. This is the area now refered to as
manifestation
of common disregard for
the Southwest of the United States-where
the majority of Chicanos currently reside. our culture. Proposition 63, English as
Chicanas/Chicanos are people who the Official Language, proposed that
have made a conscious decision to work California become a state where only
for the advancement of the Chicano com-· ~nglish would be accepted as the legitmunity. M.E.Ch.A. students express this lillate language. Funding cuts for bilinconscious decision by their commitment gual education is another example of
to the progress of Chicanos in higher attacks against our right to an education.
education. The High School Outreach People whose primary language is not
Committee tutors students, facilitates English, understand best the significance
group discussions with young people, and of learning the language to succed in the
encourages them to complete their high U.~. However, without bilingual eduschool education. Our Chicano Youth c~tJ.on. we must learn English and sacConference committee organizes a one rifice_ education. Legislation barring the
day conference providing informaton ~parush_ language stands in contempt of
about college, culture, and awarenes about mtematJ.onal law. Spanish--an intrinsic
quality in Mexican culture is protected by
commmtity issues.
~ international treaty of Guadalupe
M.E.Ch.A. students are active in comHidalgo. The end of funding for the Colbatting issues of tantamount concern lege Assistant Migrant Program by the
which affect our community. For exam~ederal _government is the final example
ple, we bring our concerns to the attenillus~tJ.ng the government's disregard for
tion of elected officials, in an effort to
our nght to an education and the intelensure that our people work and live in a lectual development of our culture.
healthy environment We protest against
Because we still do not share as equal
Undocumented immigrants suffer--U.S. amnesty a false promise.
the infilitration of our neighborhoods by
participants
in decisions which affect us-drug dealers, bars, and liquor stores (as
seen in Madera along "C" street), because our people have organized in a collective
Two of the biggest factors in com- we recognize ~t these influences breed effort to create change. As Chicano studbating racism on our campuses is to ad- crime, prostitution, drug addiction, and ents we organized; and set forth to expand
mit that racism exists and to acknowl- violence. We also demand just treatment and take rank in the movement progElsewhere, the incidents were equally as edge cultural diversity. This is not an by law enforcenment agencies, and work ressing towards a just society. A society
disheartening: White students hurled racial easy task. People of all races have dif- in coalition with community organiza- in which there is social, economic, politaunts at students going to hear Rev. ficulty coming to terms with those con- tions in achieving these demands. M.E.- tical justice and equality for all people.
Chicano students were active during
Jesse Jackson speak at Northern Illinois cepts. But once those concepts are accept- Ch.A.'s actions reflect our commitment
the civil rights movement of the 1960's,
University. A group of white University ed it becomes easier to find solutions to to the Chicano/Mexicano community.
of Texas students organiud to rid the the problem.
The scope of Mexican history exemp- but for the first time in history they came
Fortunately, some colleges and univer- lifies a proud people. Our Aztec ancestry together, in mass, to carve out their policampus of "outspoken" minorities. The
campus radio station at the University of sities are learning that a school's response goes back to approximately 1000 A.D. tical agenda within this movemenl In
Michigan was forced to temporarily cease to a racial incident is as important-if not This advanced society included compul- the summer of 1969, three thousand
operation after a disc jockey and his !DQDt._important as the incident itself. sory educatin for children, a comple,i young Chicanos met in the Crusade for
"You have to let students know," says legal system, advanced medical tech- Justice in Denver, Colorado, at the
callers insulted Blacks on the air.
Adele
Terrell, program director of the Na- niques, and a deep appreciation for art Chicano Liberation Youth Conference.
Few experts are surprised by these
incidents. Racism, they say, is inherent tional Institute Against Prejudice and Vio- poetry and music. Mexican society wru They went on to detail their goalsin American society and, therefore, exists lence in Baltimore, "that such behavior is forged by courageouus men and womer through the reborn symbol of Aztin the university community. In orther unacceptable."
who fought against a strong French arm} lan... This plan is refered to as El Plan
words, colleges and universities, despite
and won their independence in 1865 Espiritual de Aztlan. The theme of this
their scholarly aims, closely reflect the - But we must face the fact that racism They are also a people who threw-off ~ plan is nationalism-as the key or common denominator for mass mobilization
world outside their gates. And judging does exist and is on the rise. We cannot successful revolution.
and
organizatiion. The philosophy-- of
from incidents such as those at Howard take the posture of one government offiA heritage rich in the legacy of strugBeach, Forsyth County and South Africa, cial who claimed there were "no signs" of gle, we refer to owselves as Chica- Chicano youth of the early 1970's is
outlined in this Plan: nationalism and
that world appears to have become more increasing racial activity.
na/Chicano. These terms have historical
organizational goals regarding economy,
overtly racist.
meaning and they serve to reafirm our
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - p r o u d l n d i a n / M e x i c a n heritage. We refrain education, institutions, self-defense of the
community, cultural values, political
from using terms such as Hispanic or Latliberaton, and the action to be taken on
ino, because these were imposed on us.
ANNOUNCEMENT
all of the goals.
Latino is a term used to denote all
Spanish speaking people of the world; it
Years have passed since this historic
THE CCNMA-Fresno/Fresno Bee Scholarship
does not distinguish our unique culture event, and M.E.Ch.A. has emerged as the
fora
from other Spanish speaking cultures. Chicano student organization to represent
, CSUF, Journalism Student
Hispanic is a term derived from the word the true objective interests of ChicaHispania, the ancient Roman name for no/Mexicano/Latino students. M.E.Ch.A.
The Fresno Capter of the California Chicano News Media the country of Spain. And later, HisAssociation and The Fresno Bee announce the opening of panos were the 16th century Spanish
the application process for $4,000 in scholarships to explorers who settled in New Mexico.
Tension
be awarded to Hispanic students attending
or planning
to attend California State University, Fresno in 198889 and pursuing a career in
journalism or mass
communications.
Applications
June 1.
must
be
postmarked
no
later
than
Qualified students will be awarded scholarships $250
to $1,000 at the CCNMA-Fresno's 4th Annual
Memorial
Scholarship
Banquet
in
Ernesto
Moreno
August.
For applications, call 266-1391 or write:
The CCNMA-Fresno
P.O. Box 12384
Fresno, California 93777
See M.E.Ch.A. p. 8
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
featuring: Cruz Reyunoso
former Supreme Court Justice of California
Wednesday, May 4
12:00 noon
Satellite College Union
sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the C.U. Programming Committee
Page 8
,I
Monday, May 2, 1988
La ·Voz
experienced a changing political climateto our disadvantage, and many times we
are without support from certain groups
or agencies.
M.E.Ch.A.
developed the philosophy set forth in
Colorado into a progresive, inclusive political agenda of economic and social
justice for all people.
M.E.Ch.A. has a clear, decisive political agenda from which all actions are a
reflection. M.E.Ch.A. works in coalitions with many groups and organization
on a variety of issues; however, M.ECh.A. has never "sold-out", compromised, or vacillated on issues, because it
has never existed for any other reason that
improving the conditions of life for the
campus, community, country, and the
international community. We believe an
organization not possessing clear guidelines, be it progressive or conservative,
which are built on a solid foundation
leaves itself open to others with opposing ideas (not different ideas) but ideas
that are in opposition of the essence of
that organization.
As a progressive Chicana/Chicano student organization of nearly 20 years, we
contend with many obstacles: Our statewide structure continues to be plagued by
devisive elements, there exists at times
personality conflicts among members, we
lack strong financial resources, we have
It is necessary that an organization be
critical of itself in order to grow. M.E.Ch.A. encourages critical discussion and
debate. However, we understand that opposing influences sway and misguide. An
organization allowing such influences
either diminishes after the few persuasive
leaders have left, or it becomes something far removed from its original intent
M.E.Ch.A. will not endorse a cause at
the expense of another. All issues which
effect the Chicano/minority community
are of equal value. We will not say, for
example, that culltural events which
promote a positive understanding of our
people-Semana de la Raza, is so important that we will forsake a union on
strike to retain adequate wages and health
benefits. For example, accepting contribuitons for our cultural events from a
company that refuses to empower its
workers-H.P. Metzler. Token gestures
versus empowerment is the difference
between a company that highers a -'arge
percentage of minorities, but offers only
a few positions of administrative influence, or executive power.
Tony, good luck in Kansas City from Lisa, Kurt and Jolly Carcass.
CSU, FRESNO MECHA
presents _
Semana de La Raza's
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
MONDAY, MAY 2
12:00 noon Mal~uias Montoya
"Chicano Art and Politics" (S.C.U.)
7:00 p.m.
Chicano Poetry featuring
*Juan Feli~ Herrera
*Margarita Luna Robles
*Omar Salinas
*El Grito de La Genta (Musical Group)
TUESDAY, MAY 3 - Children's Day (S.C.U.)
9:00 a.m. Children's Performances
11 :00 a.m. Roberto Cardenas, Magician
Pinatas - courtesy of Colmena Hispana and
Mex-Tech Student Organization
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
12:00 noon Cruz Reynoso
Former Supreme Court Justice of
Califonna
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
Sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the College Union
Programming Committee
THURSDAY, MAY 5
11 :00 a.m. Tardeada (area between Satellite College
Union and Joyal Adminstration Building)
*Food Booths
*Mariachi Zapopan
*Clovis Marimoa Band
*Ninos de Aztlan (Children's Folkoric Dance Group)
7:00 p.m.
Community Night
Mariachi Zapopan (S.C.U.)
Panel: "Education and Community Succ~" ·
*Jua,n Arambula,·School Board Member, Fresno Unified
School District
*Maria Escobar, President of the Association of Mexican
American Educators
*Jose Vil arreal, First Chicano Public Defender for
Fresno County1/
* Los Dan7.alltes de Aztlan (Mexican Folkoric
Dance Company, California State University, Fresno)
5:30 p.m. Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Banquet
Reception- CSUF, Residence Dining Hall
FRIDAY, MAY 6
·
· .
7:00 p.m. "Dimensions of Change in Latin America" (
Upstairs Cafeteria, Room 200)
*Dr. Fernando Alegria, Stanford University
*Dr. Ignacio Gallardo, Universidad Iberoamericana,
Tijuana, B~a California, Mexico
*Dr. James Crockc,;oft, San Diego State Univerisity
*Dr. Manuel FigUA:roa, CSU, Fresno, Chicano-Latino
Studies Program
*Dr. Cosme Zaragoza, CSU, Fresno, Spanish Department
6:00 p.m. Dinner
For information call: 294-4775
$25.00 per person
SATURDAY, MAY 7
8:00 to Midni2ht
:DANCE (S.C.U.)
California State University, Fresno
•..
::;::
>:/""
·f1•
Monday, May 2, 1988
Page 2
Monday, May 2, 1988
.I
La. Voz
~a
oz ~e zt an
Commitment Continues
La Voz de Aztlan was established in 1969. Its mission over the last 19 years has been to educate Raza. T
educate people about the true conditions in which we live. To remind students that man
Chicanos/Mexicanos opened the door so that we could have more opportunities. It has been La Voz de Aztlan's
oal this year to continue in this tradition.
La Voz serves not only as a voice for the Chicano/Mexicano community, but it also acts as a teaching tool. In
n effort to include as many diverse views and opinions as possible the paper continues to reflect the social,
olitical, and cultural needs of all Chicanos.
The issues raised by La Voz de Aztlan are of importance, especially today in this era of rising racism.
nfortunately, many Latinos have forgotten the price that our people have paid to remove the barriers o
·scrimination. As a people, we are still treated as "illegal aliens" in this country built by immigrant labor, and
e must never turn our faces away from racism arid oppresion against all people.
The only way in which we can stop discrimina~ion is to make others aware that racist and oppressive acts
·n not be tolerated. And, the only way in which we have the power to do this is to work together. La Voz
es all of you to utilize the media as one means to eradicate the menace to our constitutional rights.
Let us then continue forward and work together to improve the quality of life for all people.
oun
•
ex1can
MAPA-AD HOC COALITION TO STOP THE
BORDER PATROL RAIDS
AGAINST MEXICAN-LOOKING PEOPLE. NEARLY A HUNDRED
WERE DEPORTED AND A FEW WERE RELEASED AFTER
BEING HELD IN JAIL FOR HOURS ONCE THEY PROVED
COMMISSIONER HAROLD EZELL WAS IN FRESNO ON APRIL ELEGIBILITY FOR AMNESTY.
21, TO SHOW HIS EFFORTS IN THE PROCESS TO LEGALIZE
UNDOCUMENTED IMMIGRANTS. MR. EZELL WILL SHOW HOW ONCE AGAIN, MR. HAROLD EZELL, OUR COMMUNITY
HUMANITARIAN AND GENEROUS THE IMPLEMENTATION OF BELIEVES
THAT
THESE
RAIDS
ARE
TOTALLY
THE AMNESTY PROGRAM HAS BEEN.
INCONSISTENT WITH THE EFFORTS TO BRING THE
UNDOCUMENTED COMMUN_ITY OUT OF THE SHADOWS.
HOWEVER, "BUSINESS AND RESIDENTS OF FRESNO'S THESE BORDER PATROL RAIDS ONLY INCREASE THE FEAR
CHINATOWN HAVE ANOTHER STORY TO TELL.
AND UNCERTAINTY AMONG POTENTIAL APPLICANTS.
EVEN MORE, THE BORDER PATROL IS C_REATING THE
THIS PAST SATURDAY, VANS AND AGENTS FROM THE CONDITIONS FOR MORE TRAGIC CASES LIKE THE KILLING
BORDER PATROL UNLEASHED A MASSIVE ROUND-UP OF THE YOUNG WORKER ISMAEL RAMIREZ.
La Voz
cle. Azt[an.
Pablo Gutierrez S.
Editor
Contributing Writers:
Production:
Karen
M. Cogley
Jaime Fernandez
Jaime P. Rodriguez
Lisa Y. Flores
M. PJvera
Assistant Editor
Pedro Ramirez-Advisor
Special Contributions:
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mystic Warrior
Bill Lerch-Distribution
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 3
Pesticide killing
farmworkers
FRONTLINE
By Morris Wright
Cesar Chavez and the VFW continue the fight against pesticide
poisonings and the rights of farmworkers.
Racial Tension
Black Issues in Higher Education,
By De.nnis Schatzm.(ln.
Dartmouth, Univ. of Massachusetts,
UMass-Amherst, Smith, Mount Holyoke, Brown, Wellesley, Tufts, Yale... all
institutions of higher learning in New
England. But they have somehting more
dubious in common. All have experienced
ugly racial incidents among students on
campus within the last 18 months.
Nationwide, racism is again rearing its
ugly head on campuses with greater frequency in recent months. It seems ironic,
however, that many institutions, faced
with this dilemma, are based in the New
England states, the birthplace of "liberty,"
the Constitution and the Abolitoinist
movement. Consider these blights:
*a Black female was taunted as "dark
meat" by Dartmouth football players.
· *White UMas-Amherst students, following the World Series finale, attacked
a small group of Black Mets fans on
campus, injuring several.
*A Jewish Tufts University student
was allegedly beaten by fellow whites
after writing a newspaper article denounracism.
· *At Smith College, racial slurs were
spray-painted on the steps of the
Minority Cultural Center.
0' cing
See Tension p. 7
Minority Journalism Workshop
FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS
July 18 - Aug. 5
Fann Workers' unions have been voices
crying in the wilderness against exposure
of field workers to pesticides that
debilitate and kill. The United Farm
Workers (UFW) publish monthly horror
stories of deformed children, sickness and
death from pesticides.
The rest of us are told to wash our
fruits and vegetables, but 2.3 million
farm workers have to touch them,
unwashed, all day long, and breathe the
dust and fumes.
UFW president Cesar Chavez, writing
in the union's publication Food and
Justice, has estimated that 300,000 pesticide poisonings occur each year, and has
presented many case histories, including
that of a boy born with no anns or legs
to parents who work in the fields. The
Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
has not commented on Chavez' statements except to admit that many cases of
pesticide poisoning go unreported.
There are federal rules and some state
laws concerning protective clothing and
time intervals after spraying before
workers can be required to enter the he1ds,
but they are poorly enforced and often
ignored. ·
EPA, responding to lobbying by farm
unions, the Migrant Legal Assistance
Project (MLAP) and California Rural
Legal Assistance, is preparing to revise
its rules. But a draft proposal of revisions
is "weak in almost every area," according
to Shelly Davis, a MLAP lawyer.
However, she added, "Anything would be
some improvemenL"
This glacial process has been dragging
on since 1985, when EPA assembled
representatives of unions, employers and
other concerned groups in an effort to get
agreement in advance on its proposals. In
1986 the labor representatives walked out
in protest against EPA's bias in favor of
employers.
Now, representatives of UFW, the
Farm Labor· Organizing Committee
(FLOC) and MLAP are meeting and
traveling together to agricultural areas,
preparing a critique of EPA's proposals.
EPA DRAFf PROPOSAL
The current EPA proposal does contain
some provisions that are be~ter than what
now exists. Among other things, the 237page EPA proposal would:
*Extend coverage to 300,000 workers
in nurseries and green houses, and to
forestry workers and those employed by
labor contractors;
*Require monitoring of blood of those
exposed
to pesticides for the longest
from
HOW TO APPL V:
Application forms are available
periods to check for an enzyme attacked
your journalism adviser, the CCNMA and The Bee (see by the most toxic substances. The
below). Completed applications must be returned by enzyme is necessary for pr~r
functioning of the nervous system. nus
May 16 to CCNMA at the address below.
would not be required for 75% of field
AT THE FRESNO BEE
Minorit~
to
Write
FURTHER
INFORMATION:
Journalism Workshop, CCNMA Fresno, P.O. Box 12384,
Fresno, CA 93777.
Questions can be directed to Dr. Harry Kennedy, the
workshop director, at 453-1644 evenings; to Tom
Uribes of CCNMA, workshop co-director, at 266-1391
or 275-0717; or to Donald Slinkard, Fresno Bee
managing editor, at 441-6442.
workers, who are exposed for "only"
three weeks a year. Many of the latter
groups, as well as the fonner, are afflicted
by nervous disorders.
*Require waiting periods of 24 to 48
hours after application of pesticides before
workers could be sent into the fields.
They could be required to enter sooner if
protective clothing were provided.
Such laws are on the books in some
states, but Frontline has been told by
workers in the Salinas, California area
that they had been threatened with firing
if tfiey refused to enter a field that was
posted. At best, this protection
is
uncertain; nobody knows what period of
time, if any, guarantees safety.
-"anything
would be an
.
"
improvement
EPA has further weakene.d t}ljs degree
of protection by proposing in its new
document that wAning placards at field
entrances no longer display the familiar
skull and crossbones symbol but instead
show an upraised hand and stem face.
Dr. Marian Moses, representing UFW,
told Frontline that she is particularly
upset about this Jast change. This
dilution of the message, Moses said, is a
typical case of EPA deference to
employers. "The industry wants to do
what it bloody well wants to do," she
added.
This was substantiated when Mark
Maslyn, a representative of the American
Farm Bureau Federation, an employer
group, said his organization was pleased
that "We've been somewhat successful" in
persuading EPA to follow its recommendations.
REVIEW PROCESS
The new proposals will be reviewed by
other federal agencies before they are
presented to Congress. This will take four
to six months; the new regulations are
not expected to be ready until 1989.
This means that during the se.cond half
of 1988 EPA's proposed new regualtions
will be the subject of hearings and votes
in Congress. Testimony and pressure is
bieng organized by farm unions and legal
support organizations, but they are
calling for support from others as well.
Demands are not only to strengthen the
proposals and fight off employer attempts
to weaken them further, but also to put
teeth into regulations-sanctions with
criminal liability for employers who
violate them.
"Education and Community Succes.s"
a panel discussion featuring:
Juan Arambula, Maria Escobar, and.Jose Villarreal
Thursday, May 5
7:00 p.m., S.C.U.
sponsored by semana de la Raza
Page 4
Monday, May 2, 1988
THE POWER TO TEACH
I feel sometimes
powerless and small
overwhelmed and
inadequaae
engulfed
in thoughts and feelings
that~what
lam . g
is insignificant,
that my life's pursuit,
that my te.aching,
is futile.
And l say
"Who am I
to change the world?
Whoaml
to think
that I can make a
diftiereoce.?"
And then
I reflect
on the young peopole
under my charge,
and I think about
. my role and
about what power,
if any,
I have.
And I find
that I am not
devoid of resources
or strength,
that I am,
inndeed,
endowed with talent
and ability
and strength.
I guess you
I do,
could say
after all,
that is power!
decide what
will be taught
No one else.
And i9e ..-y.ly
I have the power.
myperogathe
I have the vigor to motivate,
when it will be talght
the fullness to laugh,
the courage to control.
and how, and where.
I have the power to uplift
And why
and to create
it will be taught
and, when rm red-hot,
the intensity to inspire!
To a great extent
I determine
I can form my students
the cwriculmn.
into lines or circless
And the richness
triangles or squares.
and intensity
with which it is taught
My influence is such
is in my hands.
I can tum their ver:y
feelings
I have that power.
into Fs or A's.
And I have the ability
With just one look
tolllink
I can let a student know
and to . . .
that everything is well
and then to implement;
with the world
to select from my
repertoire
And I can use
of skills
my hands.
the one best suited
Turned up
to my pwpose,
to lift them up.
Most adullts
Or turned down
would be fortunate
to keep them down.
to perllaps last
C\
out one day ·
What power do naave
overse.eing a roomful
in the system?
of kids.
In the eyes
My cxchestration
of my students
makes enlightened music
lam
of the chaotic din.
the system.
And I have the power
to lead them places
they did not know existe.d,
to build them hick up
when society
tears them down,
to catapult them higher
than I myself will ever
reach,
and to push them gently,
but assuredly,
in_!> the unknown,
painting for them
in broad brush strokes
a future .
I can nver
hope to see.
If I succee.d
I p~ the knowledge
about what is important
to the next generation.
And,
because their world
will be the better
for my labor
mine is an important
service
to a just cause.
I even affect
the weather!
What I do
every day
detennines whether
their world
will be indifferent cold,
or sweathouse hot,
or wann, inviting, alive,
and vibrant
with learning.
I have an awesome power.
It is a happiness
that comes from knowing
that a part of us
forever,
transplanted,
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
Mine is a
giving power.
And it is
within my discretion
to design a rigid,
competitive structure
or a cooperative,
helping
network
in my c ~ .
And when the last day comes,
and it is time for us to part
we gather together
say our goodbyes
and separate.
All that I kn()w
about the world
and about how
one learns
about the world
I must give.
And in the giving
of my gift,
I recieve
my greatest power:
the power to teach
my students
to learn how to learn.
Enpowering them
is of the essence,
for if their teacher
feels sometimes
powerless and small,
how insignificant
m~they
sometimes feel?
lives..
No, thrives!
inside of each
individual who.
has gazed at us
across tired
brown desks
and called us
"Teacher."
Even on a down day
when rm feeling puney
amd insignificant
even I try hard
to remember
that all it takes
is one person
just one person!
to make a difference
in their lives.
And,
there is no reason
in the world
that that person
can not
and should not
beme!
I can make a difference!
That is my power.
That is the power to teach
-Dr. Frank Trujillo
Day
of the
Teacher
MAY 11, 1988
Mine is a present power
and a future power.
If I can reach
the children of today
I touch the children
of tomorrow.
-
Trujillo
Mexico has honored its teachers and the teaching profession
since the early 1900's. There, it is the custom to bring
flowers and read poetry for teachers each May 15. In
Guadalajara, there is even a statue dedicated to the teacher (el
maestro), created from the metal of keys donated by school
children. The two-headed statue represents the dual roles of
teachers - the educator and the social reformer.
-
Although the teaching profession in the U.S. has always
been respectable, it is neither revered nor honored as it is in
the Mexican tradition. In 1983 the Association of Mexican
American Educators (AMAE), a California-based volunteer
association dedicated to the betterment of educatin for ChicanoLatino students, initiated a statewide campaign to establish
EL DIA DEL MAESTRO (literally, DAY OF THE
TEACHER) in California.
The group found virtually no oppos1tton - nor great
enthusiasm - in the beginning. One problem: the desired day
(May 15) was in the state code as the deadline for dismissal of
teachers. The legislation first carried and introduced by State
Senator Joseph Montoya set the date for observance as the
second Tuesday in April. After two years of the April
celebrations, Senator Montoya introduced an amendment to
come closer to the May goal. Now set as the Second
Wednesday in May, it falls in 1988 on May 11, and
Califomia is ready for the sixth, and largest, annual
observance.
Dr. Joe Santana, President, State AMAE
Page 5 Monday, May 2, 1988
inner visions
AVENIDA de REVOLUCION
as i stand here
here on the threshold of my future
i contemplate the rason for being
am i here to only please and help myself
if so
then the hell with everybody else
I think not
there must be something more
are you a reflection of myself
if you are
then I must take care of thee
for i can not truly know
myself
if I do not know thee
Mystic Warrior
time passes ever so continually
people are dying ever so continually
but do I care
no
because
I make money ever so continually
fuck this capitalistic ideology
ever so continually
Mystic Warrior
Perched peacefully atop the bridge of life
Sit the beautiful children
Nwnb to the noxious stench of urine
And the rest of the shit
That comprises their existence
Singing La Bamba
Hoping
Wishing
Praying
That the young Mexican haters
Could find it somewhere
Anywhere
To be generous
Just this once
But of course-The young Mexican haters
Who come by the thousands
~~gg
Poetry
Corner
wrucn tne oeauutut ctuJaren smg
but they fail to hear
In their tequila clouded ears
Large families set up homes
In front of Woolworths and Dennys
And anywhere else their is room
Inviting the young Mexican haters
Into their homes to visit and see the family heirlooms
Treasures of combs, batteries, cigarettes,
And exploiting the exploited
lottery tickets lighters chicklets
Never see the children
.
.
And pricel~• Indian h'ace1ets '
Nor do they hear the sttums of tiny gwtars Which the people offer up as gifts
Or the_wails ?fa proud people
Only to be shunned
Who smg theu song
.
~
By the young Mexican haters
The song that the young Mexican Haters Who go ao the neighbors
~ to in their exclusive clubs
.Looking yet, for a better deal
Without ever a thought
'The young Mexican haters
From where the song came
Who've come by the thousands
No!
To eat
The young Mexican Haters
to drink
Rush their obnoxious selves
to party
To their exclusive clubs
to carouse
Which plays the song
But not with the prisoners
Whom they guard with their greed
Instral they rejoice
For they are free to roam
To conquer the streets
And peer in the windows
Of the people's homes
Spying on the loving mothers
Feeding milk to the babies
While ignoring the children
Who possess but one thing
An empty tin cup
Which ovenlow with my tears.
Larry-Michael-Hobson
ODE TO CIIlLES
Mis padres like the
stingmg flavor of your seeds.
Waxen green, yellow,
red thumbs and elongated ,
bells on church towers.
You always grow ripe
for the harvest which
spells your death.
Kneeling, mis padres would
pinch your tip,
snap you from your shrunken branch and
strip bare the bush
with such speed,
their buckets would
form a mountain
above the can's rusted rim.
Even though you are stored in a bin,
you refuse to remain lifeless.
Perhaps your flesh settles into a fwy
because of the
rage of my
slaughtered ancestors who
seek revenge by hiding under your skin.
IDEALISTIC YOUTH
JERRY'S (FALWELL) GIRLS
Born into poverty, sold into slavery.
Now you're middle class and moving up fast.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wind and die.
I remember sitting around drinking the "Bird."
Talking about politics and changing the world.
We used to dream about living in Utopia.
But now you're too good to be my friend.
Daughters are born day by day
No trumpets blaring no cigars
Mothers mistake
No little Gippers
No one to follow in fathers footsteps
No one IO follow
To carry on
Carry on the family name
Remember when we were outcasts for taking a stand?
We carried signs and spoke our minds.
We weren't afraid to fight for our rights.
But now you've gone out and joined the man.
4 years of college, no years of knowledge.
Now you're working for IBM.
Big expense account, a company car.
But do you know who you are?
Daddy's little girl
Pigtails and lace
Soon to folow in mommy's place
Born to be a martyr
For better or worse
Born IO be a martyr
To serve and obey
You were born into poverty and sold into slavery.
And now you're middle c~ and moving up fast
You've turned your back on what you believed.
Now you're voting Republican and going to chun;h.
You've sold yourself to IBM
Joined a country club and have got new friends.
Always on top of every new trend.
And now you're too good to be my friend.
Sentenced IO the kitchen
To cook and clean
The husband is the head
A bible made king
Women be feminine
Submit IO your man
Or you11 throw off
God's ready made plan
Larry-Michael-Hobson
Mis padres eat you every day with
tortillas and came because
for them you are sweet hot mole.
-Pedro Lopez Ramirez
Remember drinking Olde English by the rail road ttacks?
Singing songs and talking politics?
We used to dream about the revolution,
Now you've joined the problem and abandoned the solution.
You've,made some money and fed your greed.
But you're a prostitute no better than me.
What about those that you left behind?
Left in the gutter to wine and die.
Larry -Michael-Hobson
Page 6
Monday, May 2, 1988
La. Voz
Jackson back in stride
population who, by virtue of their class
JESSE MAKES A MARK
Jackson's candidacy has already
and social status, have borne the brunt of
Reagan's counter-offensive.
dramatiacally impacted the 1988 election
Four years ago, political professionals,
campaign. Jackson shines through as the
the Black establishment and most
most articulate spokesperson for a
ANTI-RACIST POPULISM
Americans treated the Jesse Jackson
coherent alternative to Re.aganism. The
The recasting of Jackson's appeal is an
campaign as a joke, at best characterizing success of his populist message has had a essential part of a campaign strategy of
it as a symbolick Black effort without
salutary effect on the Democratic Party,
playing to win: broadening his support
much real potential. Today, very few are
helping to at least detour it from its
among white voters; gaining the respectlaughing. As Jesse Jackson traverses the
rightward trajectory. And duplicating the
or at least neutralizing the hostility-of the
country from Iowa back raods to the
dynamic of the 1984 campaign,
more conservative inner circles of the
nation's urban centers, America has been
progressives and working cJass forces
Democratic Party; making inroads into
forced to talce the Reverend's bid for the
once again find themselves in a favorable the Black political establishment, and
Democratic presidential nomination
building a professional campaign
position to use the accelerated political
seriously.
organi7.ation.
involvement brought about by a
Ironically, one measure of Jackson's
presidential year to advance not just the
The Jackson candidacy presents by far
success consists of the scope and nature
prospects of a particular candidate, but a
the most direct challenge to the Jast seven
of the criticisms that have been leveled at broader vision of the politics of peace and ye.ars of aggressive military
him. This is only to be expected from the justice as well.
interventionism and a radicalized assault
ruling power elite, and they have not been
on the U.S. working class. Unlike the
That potential in 1988 is buttressed by
lax in their attempts to discredit Jackson's a combination of factors. First and
rest of the Democratic contenders,
bid. Psychological profiles speculating on foremost, Reaganism is at an impasse.
Jackson operates from a coherent
The Contragate scandal and the Sm ict
everything from his sex life to his
alternative framework, with a program
peace initiatives have thrown the war
mother's unmarried state at the time of
that defends the "little guy" against the
his birth have titillated the readers of even mongers on the defensive, at least
big corporations, that counterposes the
such sober-minded papers as the New
temporarily. Combined with the trade
family farmer to greedy agribusiness, that
York Times. Politically, Jackson's
deficit, the budget deficit,' a wavering
projects a sound economy rather than a
detractors have carped on the question of
stock market and a se.a of scandal lapping military buildup as the basis for national
his lack of "electability" and on whether
at the White House door, the huge
security.
the country could possibly vote for a
popularity enjoyed by the President has
Jackson's message takes head-on the
Black man. The force of the attack has
been substantially eroded over the past
Re.agan administration's obvious
been sufficient to fuel the doubts of a
two ye.ars.
preference for the rich and powerful. His
section of liberals and even a few on the
Meantime, the Democratic Party is up
attempt to forge an anti-racist populism
left, who have decided to keep their
for grabs, without a Walter Mondale on
is introduing a rudimentary form of
distance for one or another dubious
the scene holding a lock on the
working class consciounsness into the
reason.
nomination. Jackson's 1988 rivals are
arena of a presidential campaign. By
Within the ranks of Jackson's active
distinguished mainly by their anonymity
re.aching out and incorporating the
supporters, however, a different debaw has and their lack of a visible base of
grievances and interests of sector after
emerged: not over whether Jackson really political support.
·sector of. the population, Jackson's appeal
believes what he says, but over whether
has become both more inclusive and more
Finally, the clout of the Black vote has
compelling. At the same time, there is no
the attempt to "mainstream" the 1988
made itself felt at the ballot box. Starting
mistaking Jackson for the rest of the
campaign will sap the progressive
in 1984, Blacks turned out in impressive
impulse Jackson's most dedicated
numbers to back Jackson's bid; they went pack, even in their most liberal moments.
Any Jackson speech is bound to invoke
supporters embody. Specifically, there is
on in 1986 to provide the margin that
the legacy of working class political
a fear in some quarters that the emphasis
assured a Democratic majority in the
struggle in a way none of the other
on reaching out to a broader cross-section Senate and Robert Bork's defeat in 1987.
Democrats would dare to; his standard
of the electorate could exert a rightward
Added to this core of suppon are the
stump address is full of empowerment,
determined effons Jackson has made to
pull and qualitatively compromise the
expand his base among farmers, women,
not just legislative proposals.
.
campaign. Jackson's move toward the
organized labor, environmentalists, the
And for all the focus on building the
mainstream is certainly not without its
white stripe of the Rainbow, Jackson
peace movement and the lesbian/gay
problems. But these questions, too, are a
continues to be the only candidate who
sign of Jackson's success; they could only movement It gets harder every day to
constantly challenges white voters to cast
marginaliu Jackson as the "Black"
come up once it had be.come clear to
candidate; he enters this primary season ru off their racial blinders. When wt6.te
everyone in the country that in 1988,
the "progressive" candidate who speaks
farmers and blue-collar workers, including
Jesse Jackson is pJaying in the big
for the ever-widening sectors of the
many who supported Re.agan four short
le.agues.
FRON1LINE
By Frances M Beal
years ago, actively contemplate voting tor
Jackson, there is a ring of truth to the
"unelectable" frontrunner's retort: "In
some senses, rm winning every day.
Americans sit back watching 'residential
sweepstalces '88'; they see six
Republicans, six Democrats. .They watch
my response to the questions and
challenges. America is getting more used
to the ide.a every day that of those 12,
Jesse Jackson could become President"
DEALING WITII DEMOCRATS
Clearly, those within the Democratic
Party who are interested in a simple
changing of the guard rather than a change
of direction feel more than a bit
discomfited by the Jackson phenomenon.
But the new momentum he has built up
has alre.ady provided a deterrent to those
who would prefer to conciliate as much of
Reaganism as necessary and let the socalled "special interests" of minorities,
women and labor fall off the party's
agenda. Jackson represents a frontal rebuff
to the conservative game plan for the
Democratic Party: his whole campaign is
built on the premise that there is a broad
base for the politics of peace and justice,
and that what the Democrats have to do is
to go out and find it
The question of how to ere.ate a
pennanent vehicle for working class
politics will remain on the agenda of the
people's movement long after the current
campaign conlcudes. While the Jackson
candidacy may in some ways compund
the problem at the moment, it can also
make an essential contribuiton to the
solution. In 1984, progessJve activists
and the most conscious section ·of the
working class movement rallied to
Jackson because the Rainbow campaign
represented the intrusion of a force
speaking for the ''Locked out" onto the
terrain of national electoral politics. The
present trajectory of the 1988 campaign
can still operate to maximize that
potential. And that is the reason why the
most committed elements in the
movement are once again throwin g their
support and resources behind the Jackson
candidacy.
FSU Student seeks office
By Jaime P. Rodriguez
California State University, Fresno
student Paul Comparan, a graduate student in criminology is seeking a position
on the Fresno County Board of Supervisors. He hopes that a grass-roots campaign (going door-to-door) will culminate
with a victory on June 7th over incumbent, Judy ~ n .
Born in Riverside, California, his
family moved to Fresno County when he
was two, and he was raised in the Reedley
area. He completed his fonnal education
at Reedley High School. After graduation
Comparan was hired by the California of the thousands of dollars spent annually
Highway Patrol where he dedicated the to house a criminal to other county departnext 18 years as a hghway patrolman un- ments. Comparan said that county servitil his retirement. He decided to enroll at ces for the elderly, the physically handiFresno State after retirement and fullfiled capped, mental health clinics, recreationhis life long desired dream of obtaining a al facilities, and Valley Medical Center
B.S. de2ree.
are severly under funded because of misAs a holder of a B.S. in Criminology management by the current board.
and a retired California Highway Patrol
Paul Comparan added that he believes
Officer, Comparan has foresight on in listening to the needs of the people in
crime. His solution to the crime prob- Fresno County and working within the
lem is not building more jails, but find- government structure to bring workable
ing and implementing a workable alter- solution that will the county. "The taxnative sentencing program. A program payer has a right to expect the best serthat will reduce crime and transfer some vice available and it is the supervisors res-
ponsibility to see that he gets it". This
means according to Comparan, "the responsibility of the supervisor is, to provide the best management team possible,
as well as accountability". The conclusion will make for better informed decisions for the county and the District 5
constituents.
Paul Comparan feels that he can provide the leadership that will insure Fresno
County of improved goverment services.
"The future of Fresno County," adds Comparan, "rests on our decisions today. The
Board of Supervisors needs to hear that
working people are concerned about their
future and their children's future.
~--~~------~-----------------------------------------------~------------------~
.
C
CIDCANO COMMENCEMENT
APPLICATION DEADLINE-MAY 12, 1988
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CALL: 294-2848
L _____________________________________________________________________________ J
Monday, May 2, 1988 Page 7
-La.Voz
M.E. Ch.A:Review
by Karen M. Cogley
The contemporary use of the term HisAztlan, in the Nahuaatl tongue of panic is in reference to all people of Latin
ancient Mexico means, the lands to the or Spanish descent. Like the term Latino
north. Aztlan is the area north of Mexico Hispanic disregards our unique culturai
which was once inhabited by the Aztec heritage.
Legislation imposd on us by elected
people, of which Chicanos are descendofficials
in our government acts as a
ants. This is the area now refered to as
manifestation
of common disregard for
the Southwest of the United States-where
the majority of Chicanos currently reside. our culture. Proposition 63, English as
Chicanas/Chicanos are people who the Official Language, proposed that
have made a conscious decision to work California become a state where only
for the advancement of the Chicano com-· ~nglish would be accepted as the legitmunity. M.E.Ch.A. students express this lillate language. Funding cuts for bilinconscious decision by their commitment gual education is another example of
to the progress of Chicanos in higher attacks against our right to an education.
education. The High School Outreach People whose primary language is not
Committee tutors students, facilitates English, understand best the significance
group discussions with young people, and of learning the language to succed in the
encourages them to complete their high U.~. However, without bilingual eduschool education. Our Chicano Youth c~tJ.on. we must learn English and sacConference committee organizes a one rifice_ education. Legislation barring the
day conference providing informaton ~parush_ language stands in contempt of
about college, culture, and awarenes about mtematJ.onal law. Spanish--an intrinsic
quality in Mexican culture is protected by
commmtity issues.
~ international treaty of Guadalupe
M.E.Ch.A. students are active in comHidalgo. The end of funding for the Colbatting issues of tantamount concern lege Assistant Migrant Program by the
which affect our community. For exam~ederal _government is the final example
ple, we bring our concerns to the attenillus~tJ.ng the government's disregard for
tion of elected officials, in an effort to
our nght to an education and the intelensure that our people work and live in a lectual development of our culture.
healthy environment We protest against
Because we still do not share as equal
Undocumented immigrants suffer--U.S. amnesty a false promise.
the infilitration of our neighborhoods by
participants
in decisions which affect us-drug dealers, bars, and liquor stores (as
seen in Madera along "C" street), because our people have organized in a collective
Two of the biggest factors in com- we recognize ~t these influences breed effort to create change. As Chicano studbating racism on our campuses is to ad- crime, prostitution, drug addiction, and ents we organized; and set forth to expand
mit that racism exists and to acknowl- violence. We also demand just treatment and take rank in the movement progElsewhere, the incidents were equally as edge cultural diversity. This is not an by law enforcenment agencies, and work ressing towards a just society. A society
disheartening: White students hurled racial easy task. People of all races have dif- in coalition with community organiza- in which there is social, economic, politaunts at students going to hear Rev. ficulty coming to terms with those con- tions in achieving these demands. M.E.- tical justice and equality for all people.
Chicano students were active during
Jesse Jackson speak at Northern Illinois cepts. But once those concepts are accept- Ch.A.'s actions reflect our commitment
the civil rights movement of the 1960's,
University. A group of white University ed it becomes easier to find solutions to to the Chicano/Mexicano community.
of Texas students organiud to rid the the problem.
The scope of Mexican history exemp- but for the first time in history they came
Fortunately, some colleges and univer- lifies a proud people. Our Aztec ancestry together, in mass, to carve out their policampus of "outspoken" minorities. The
campus radio station at the University of sities are learning that a school's response goes back to approximately 1000 A.D. tical agenda within this movemenl In
Michigan was forced to temporarily cease to a racial incident is as important-if not This advanced society included compul- the summer of 1969, three thousand
operation after a disc jockey and his !DQDt._important as the incident itself. sory educatin for children, a comple,i young Chicanos met in the Crusade for
"You have to let students know," says legal system, advanced medical tech- Justice in Denver, Colorado, at the
callers insulted Blacks on the air.
Adele
Terrell, program director of the Na- niques, and a deep appreciation for art Chicano Liberation Youth Conference.
Few experts are surprised by these
incidents. Racism, they say, is inherent tional Institute Against Prejudice and Vio- poetry and music. Mexican society wru They went on to detail their goalsin American society and, therefore, exists lence in Baltimore, "that such behavior is forged by courageouus men and womer through the reborn symbol of Aztin the university community. In orther unacceptable."
who fought against a strong French arm} lan... This plan is refered to as El Plan
words, colleges and universities, despite
and won their independence in 1865 Espiritual de Aztlan. The theme of this
their scholarly aims, closely reflect the - But we must face the fact that racism They are also a people who threw-off ~ plan is nationalism-as the key or common denominator for mass mobilization
world outside their gates. And judging does exist and is on the rise. We cannot successful revolution.
and
organizatiion. The philosophy-- of
from incidents such as those at Howard take the posture of one government offiA heritage rich in the legacy of strugBeach, Forsyth County and South Africa, cial who claimed there were "no signs" of gle, we refer to owselves as Chica- Chicano youth of the early 1970's is
outlined in this Plan: nationalism and
that world appears to have become more increasing racial activity.
na/Chicano. These terms have historical
organizational goals regarding economy,
overtly racist.
meaning and they serve to reafirm our
1 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - p r o u d l n d i a n / M e x i c a n heritage. We refrain education, institutions, self-defense of the
community, cultural values, political
from using terms such as Hispanic or Latliberaton, and the action to be taken on
ino, because these were imposed on us.
ANNOUNCEMENT
all of the goals.
Latino is a term used to denote all
Spanish speaking people of the world; it
Years have passed since this historic
THE CCNMA-Fresno/Fresno Bee Scholarship
does not distinguish our unique culture event, and M.E.Ch.A. has emerged as the
fora
from other Spanish speaking cultures. Chicano student organization to represent
, CSUF, Journalism Student
Hispanic is a term derived from the word the true objective interests of ChicaHispania, the ancient Roman name for no/Mexicano/Latino students. M.E.Ch.A.
The Fresno Capter of the California Chicano News Media the country of Spain. And later, HisAssociation and The Fresno Bee announce the opening of panos were the 16th century Spanish
the application process for $4,000 in scholarships to explorers who settled in New Mexico.
Tension
be awarded to Hispanic students attending
or planning
to attend California State University, Fresno in 198889 and pursuing a career in
journalism or mass
communications.
Applications
June 1.
must
be
postmarked
no
later
than
Qualified students will be awarded scholarships $250
to $1,000 at the CCNMA-Fresno's 4th Annual
Memorial
Scholarship
Banquet
in
Ernesto
Moreno
August.
For applications, call 266-1391 or write:
The CCNMA-Fresno
P.O. Box 12384
Fresno, California 93777
See M.E.Ch.A. p. 8
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
featuring: Cruz Reyunoso
former Supreme Court Justice of California
Wednesday, May 4
12:00 noon
Satellite College Union
sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the C.U. Programming Committee
Page 8
,I
Monday, May 2, 1988
La ·Voz
experienced a changing political climateto our disadvantage, and many times we
are without support from certain groups
or agencies.
M.E.Ch.A.
developed the philosophy set forth in
Colorado into a progresive, inclusive political agenda of economic and social
justice for all people.
M.E.Ch.A. has a clear, decisive political agenda from which all actions are a
reflection. M.E.Ch.A. works in coalitions with many groups and organization
on a variety of issues; however, M.ECh.A. has never "sold-out", compromised, or vacillated on issues, because it
has never existed for any other reason that
improving the conditions of life for the
campus, community, country, and the
international community. We believe an
organization not possessing clear guidelines, be it progressive or conservative,
which are built on a solid foundation
leaves itself open to others with opposing ideas (not different ideas) but ideas
that are in opposition of the essence of
that organization.
As a progressive Chicana/Chicano student organization of nearly 20 years, we
contend with many obstacles: Our statewide structure continues to be plagued by
devisive elements, there exists at times
personality conflicts among members, we
lack strong financial resources, we have
It is necessary that an organization be
critical of itself in order to grow. M.E.Ch.A. encourages critical discussion and
debate. However, we understand that opposing influences sway and misguide. An
organization allowing such influences
either diminishes after the few persuasive
leaders have left, or it becomes something far removed from its original intent
M.E.Ch.A. will not endorse a cause at
the expense of another. All issues which
effect the Chicano/minority community
are of equal value. We will not say, for
example, that culltural events which
promote a positive understanding of our
people-Semana de la Raza, is so important that we will forsake a union on
strike to retain adequate wages and health
benefits. For example, accepting contribuitons for our cultural events from a
company that refuses to empower its
workers-H.P. Metzler. Token gestures
versus empowerment is the difference
between a company that highers a -'arge
percentage of minorities, but offers only
a few positions of administrative influence, or executive power.
Tony, good luck in Kansas City from Lisa, Kurt and Jolly Carcass.
CSU, FRESNO MECHA
presents _
Semana de La Raza's
Cinco de Mayo Celebration
MONDAY, MAY 2
12:00 noon Mal~uias Montoya
"Chicano Art and Politics" (S.C.U.)
7:00 p.m.
Chicano Poetry featuring
*Juan Feli~ Herrera
*Margarita Luna Robles
*Omar Salinas
*El Grito de La Genta (Musical Group)
TUESDAY, MAY 3 - Children's Day (S.C.U.)
9:00 a.m. Children's Performances
11 :00 a.m. Roberto Cardenas, Magician
Pinatas - courtesy of Colmena Hispana and
Mex-Tech Student Organization
WEDNESDAY, MAY 4
12:00 noon Cruz Reynoso
Former Supreme Court Justice of
Califonna
"The Constitution and Hispanics"
Sponsored by the Center for Chicano
Research and the College Union
Programming Committee
THURSDAY, MAY 5
11 :00 a.m. Tardeada (area between Satellite College
Union and Joyal Adminstration Building)
*Food Booths
*Mariachi Zapopan
*Clovis Marimoa Band
*Ninos de Aztlan (Children's Folkoric Dance Group)
7:00 p.m.
Community Night
Mariachi Zapopan (S.C.U.)
Panel: "Education and Community Succ~" ·
*Jua,n Arambula,·School Board Member, Fresno Unified
School District
*Maria Escobar, President of the Association of Mexican
American Educators
*Jose Vil arreal, First Chicano Public Defender for
Fresno County1/
* Los Dan7.alltes de Aztlan (Mexican Folkoric
Dance Company, California State University, Fresno)
5:30 p.m. Hispanic Excellence Scholarship Banquet
Reception- CSUF, Residence Dining Hall
FRIDAY, MAY 6
·
· .
7:00 p.m. "Dimensions of Change in Latin America" (
Upstairs Cafeteria, Room 200)
*Dr. Fernando Alegria, Stanford University
*Dr. Ignacio Gallardo, Universidad Iberoamericana,
Tijuana, B~a California, Mexico
*Dr. James Crockc,;oft, San Diego State Univerisity
*Dr. Manuel FigUA:roa, CSU, Fresno, Chicano-Latino
Studies Program
*Dr. Cosme Zaragoza, CSU, Fresno, Spanish Department
6:00 p.m. Dinner
For information call: 294-4775
$25.00 per person
SATURDAY, MAY 7
8:00 to Midni2ht
:DANCE (S.C.U.)